How to Write 笏 (hù) — Meaning “Official tablet (held at court)”

Visualize a bamboo (竹) tablet that you must "not" (勿) forget to bring to court—if you forget, you might lose your job. The phrase "bamboo, do not forget" can help link the shape and meaning.

Start by writing the left and right parts of 竹 (the bamboo radical) as two separate units, each with a slanted stroke and a hook. Then write 勿 (wù) below, making sure the horizontal strokes are parallel and the hook at the end of the last stroke is clear. A common mistake is to make 勿 too wide or to connect the bamboo components incorrectly.

Both 竺 (zhú) and 竽 (yú) share the bamboo radical on top but have different bottom parts. 竺 uses 二 (two), meaning "bamboo" or a surname, while 竽 uses 于 (yú) and refers to an ancient wind instrument. In contrast, 笏 uses 勿 and specifically means an official's tablet, not a musical instrument or general bamboo.

Today 笏 is mostly found in historical writings, classical literature, or idioms describing ancient court rituals. For example, "执笏" means to hold an official tablet, and you might see it in stories about imperial China or traditional Chinese opera performances.

Common words containing 笏 include: 象笏 (xiàng hù) — Ivory tablet; 玉笏 (yù hù) — Jade tablet (held by officials); 执笏 (zhí hù) — to hold an official tablet.