How to Write 怙 (hù) — Meaning “to rely on; to depend on”

Imagine an ancient (古) heart (忄) that leans on old traditions — that feeling of depending on something is 怙 (hù). Another trick: think of a child relying on their parents as a "gu" (古) foundation of the heart.

The left radical 忄 is narrow: write the central vertical stroke first, then the left dot, then the right dot. The right part 古 starts with a horizontal stroke, then a vertical through it, then a shorter horizontal, and finally a longer bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the radical too wide, so keep it slim and balanced.

怙 (hù) means ‘to rely on’ and uses the right component 古 (ancient). 忏 (chàn) means ‘to repent’ and uses 千 (thousand) on the right. 忕 (shì) means ‘to be accustomed to’ and uses 大 (big) on the right. Visually, the right sides are different, and each carries a distinct meaning related to heart actions.

怙 is rare in everyday speech but appears in classical idioms and literary expressions. The most common phrase is 怙恶不悛 (hù è bù quān), meaning ‘to persist in evil and refuse to reform.’ It is also used in 恃怙 (shì hù) to refer to relying on one's parents, reflecting a cultural value of family support.

Common words containing 怙 include: 怙恶不悛 (hù è bù quān) — to persist in evil and refuse to reform; 恃怙 (shì hù) — To rely on (often referring to parents); 怙宠 (hù chǒng) — to rely on being a favorite.