How to Write 届 (jiè) — Meaning “session; term; to arrive (at a time)”

Imagine a person (尸) who is always on time (由) for every meeting. The top part looks like a roof or a person sitting, and 由 reminds you of a schedule or reason, so picture someone arriving exactly when they are supposed to.

Write the radical 尸 first: horizontal stroke, then left-downward stroke. Then add 由: start with the vertical line down from the middle of the top horizontal, then the left and right sides, and finally the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making 由 too wide or forgetting its vertical stroke goes through the top.

届 (jiè) contains 由 (reason) and means a session or arrival, while 尽 (jìn) has 尺 (measure) and means to exhaust or as much as possible. 尾 (wěi) has 毛 (hair) under 尸 and means tail or end. Visually, 届 has a clear 由 in the lower half, 尽 has a different bottom (尺), and 尾 has a furry-looking bottom (毛).

届 is used for official terms or sessions, like 本届 (current session) of a conference or 往届 (previous sessions). 届时 (at the appointed time) is a formal way to say 'when the time comes,' often in invitations or announcements. It carries a sense of scheduled events, especially in academic or political contexts.

Common words containing 届 include: 本届 (běn jiè) — Current / This session; 届时 (jiè shí) — at the appointed time; when the time comes; 往届 (wǎng jiè) — previous sessions; former years.