How to Write 荭 (hóng) — Meaning “prince's feather (a plant)”

Imagine a prince wearing a bright red feather (红) on his hat, and the feather is actually a soft grass plant (艹). This picture links the meaning 'prince's feather' to the character's components.

Pay attention to the top grass radical 艹: it should be written with the horizontal stroke first, then two short vertical strokes. The lower part 红 must be balanced below, and the silk radical 纟 on the left uses three strokes: fold, fold, horizontal. A common mistake is making the 工 on the right too tall.

荭 contains the component 红 (red) and is a plant name, while 兹 (cí or zī) has 玄 (dark) below the grass and means 'this' or 'now' in classical Chinese. 芈 (mǐ) is a rare surname character with a different structure under 艹, often seen in ancient texts like the name of the royal family of Chu.

荭 is a very rare character, used almost exclusively in botanical names such as 荭草 (hóng cǎo) for the prince's feather plant. You will not find it in daily conversation or HSK vocabulary; it appears mainly in plant guides, classical poetry, or specialized botanical contexts.

Common words containing 荭 include: 荭草 (hóng cǎo) — prince's feather (Polygonum orientale); 水荭 (shuǐ hóng) — Prince's feather (a type of plant); 荭蓼 (hóng liǎo) — oriental lady's thumb (a plant).