How to Write 讳 (huì) — Meaning “To avoid as a taboo / Taboo”

Imagine someone covering their mouth with a leather glove (韦) to stop themselves from saying a forbidden word. The speech radical 讠 reminds you it's about speaking, and the leather shows a strong barrier. This visual helps connect the character to the idea of avoiding taboo topics.

Write the radical 讠 first as two strokes: a dot and a rising line. Then add 韦, which has four strokes: horizontal, horizontal, vertical, and a final dot. Be careful not to confuse the right side 韦 with the similar component 韦 in other characters — keep the strokes compact and balanced.

The key difference is the right side: 讳 has 韦 (leather), while 计 has 十 (ten) and 订 has 丁 (nail). In meaning, 讳 is about taboo and avoiding words, whereas 计 means to calculate or plan, and 订 means to order or subscribe. Visually, 讳 is the only one with the leather component.

讳 commonly appears in words like 忌讳 (taboo) and 直言不讳 (to speak bluntly without avoiding taboos). In Chinese culture, using 讳 reflects the traditional practice of avoiding certain names or words out of respect, especially for elders or rulers — for example, not directly saying an emperor's personal name. Today it is still used in formal or respectful contexts.

Common words containing 讳 include: 忌讳 (jì huì) — taboo; to avoid; 直言不讳 (zhí yán bù huì) — speak bluntly / not mince words; 避讳 (bì huì) — taboo / to avoid using certain words or names.