How to Write 醐 (hú) — Meaning “clarified butter”

Imagine a jar of thick, golden clarified butter labeled 'Who?' because it sounds like 'hú'. The left side looks like a bottle (酉), and the right side 胡 can be remembered as 'foreign' — think of this as luxurious foreign butter.

The left radical 酉 must be written with its top horizontal stroke slightly longer on the left. The right part 胡 starts with two horizontals (from 古) and then 月 — be careful not to connect the inner strokes of 月 incorrectly. The overall balance is important: both sides should be about the same height.

醐 uses the phonetic component 胡 (hú), while 酲 uses 呈 (chéng) and 酴 uses 余 (tú). Visually, 醐 has a more complex right side with ten strokes, whereas 酲 has only seven and 酴 has seven. Their meanings also differ: 醐 relates to dairy products, while 酲 means 'drunk' and 酴 means 'fermenting cake'.

醐 appears almost exclusively in the word 醍醐 (tíhú), meaning ghee or clarified butter, and in the idiom 醍醐灌顶 (tíhú guàn dǐng), which describes a sudden spiritual awakening or being filled with wisdom. This idiom is used in literature and formal speech to praise a profound insight, evoking the ancient metaphor of pouring pure ghee on the head.

Common words containing 醐 include: 醍醐 (tí hú) — ghee / clarified butter; 醍醐灌顶 (tí hú guàn dǐng) — to be filled with wisdom / sudden enlightenment; 醍醐味 (tí hú wèi) — exquisite taste.