How to Write 掎 (jǐ) — Meaning “to pull back or drag”

Imagine your hand (扌) pulling a strange (奇) heavy object, like a stubborn donkey that refuses to move. The 'strange' part (奇) helps you recall the sound jǐ, and the hand reminds you it is a pulling action.

Write the hand radical 扌 first with three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, and lift. Then write the right side 奇: start with 大 (three strokes), then 可 (five strokes). Be careful not to mix up the right part with 舌 (tongue) in 括, as 奇 has a large top stroke.

掎 has the radical 扌 and right part 奇, meaning to pull. 拜 (bài) has two hands and means to worship or bow; it looks like two hands joined. 括 (kuò) has 扌 and 舌 (tongue), meaning to include or tie. The key difference is the right-side component: 奇 vs 舌 vs two hands.

掎 is not a common character in daily conversation, but it appears in classical idioms like 掎角之势 (jǐ jiǎo zhī shì), meaning a pincer movement in battle. You might also see it in 掎摭 (jǐ zhí), which means to point out faults or criticize, often in literary contexts.

Common words containing 掎 include: 掎角之势 (jǐ jiǎo zhī shì) — pincer movement; 掎摭 (jǐ zhí) — to point out faults; 掎拔 (jǐ bá) — to pull out or extract.