How to Write 疌 (jié) — Meaning “Quick; nimble”

Picture a cat’s paw (止) that swiftly catches a mouse, then the mouse escapes by a hand (又) motion—this fast sequence is 疌, meaning ‘quick’. The shape of 止 looks like a paw print, and the bottom part is like a grabbing hand.

Write the top part 止 first (vertical, horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then the bottom part starting with a horizontal stroke, a vertical, a left‑falling curve, and a dot. A common mistake is making the bottom part too tall or wide—keep it compact so the character stays balanced.

疌’s bottom is a hand‑like shape (又 with an extra horizontal), while 此 has 匕 (spoon) on the left, and 步 has 少 (few) underneath. In meaning, 疌 means ‘quick’, 此 means ‘this’, and 步 means ‘step’—they are not interchangeable.

疌 is very rare in modern Chinese, appearing mostly in classical compounds like 疌尔 (suddenly) and 疌捷 (agile). In everyday speech, the character 捷 is used instead. You may see 疌 in ancient texts or calligraphy as an old form of 捷.

Common words containing 疌 include: 疌尔 (jié ěr) — Quickly; suddenly; 疌捷 (jié jié) — Quick; agile; 疌径 (jié jìng) — Shortcut.