How to Write 耤 (jí) — Meaning “To plow (specifically by the emperor in ancient times)”

Think of 耤 as 'the emperor's old plow.' The left side 耒 looks like a plow, and the right side 昔 sounds like 'ji' but also means 'past.' Imagine a grand emperor using a ceremonial plow in a field long ago, and you will remember that 耤 is for imperial plowing.

The left part 耒 must be written with six strokes, starting with two horizontals, then a vertical, a horizontal, a left-falling stroke, and a dot. The right part 昔 has eight strokes and should be slightly wider than the left side to keep balance. A common mistake is making the 耒 too narrow or misplacing the vertical stroke in 昔.

耤 specifically refers to the emperor plowing in ancient ceremonies, while 耠 (huō) means to turn over soil with a plow and is still used in farming today. 耢 (lào) is a type of harrow tool used to level soil. Visually, 耤 has 昔 on the right, whereas 耠 has 合 and 耢 has 劳, so the right components are completely different.

耤 is very rare in modern Chinese and is not part of HSK. It appears mainly in historical texts about ancient Chinese emperors who performed a symbolic plowing ceremony called 耤田 to promote agriculture. Today, it is most often encountered in discussions of traditional rituals or in classical literature, not in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 耤 include: 耤田 (jí tián) — The field plowed by the emperor; 亲耤 (qīn jí) — the emperor personally plowing the field (archaic); 耤礼 (jí lǐ) — The imperial plowing ceremony.