How to Write 赉 (lài) — Meaning “to bestow; to confer”

Imagine someone says 'Come (来) and receive your shell (贝) money!' — the sound of 'lài' is like 'lie' but think of a prize being given. This ties the right part '来' (come) with the left part '贝' (money) to mean 'bestow a reward'.

Start with the left radical 贝 (4 strokes), then write the right part 来 (7 strokes). The left side should be narrow, and the right side slightly wider. A common mistake is making the top of 来 too wide — keep the horizontal strokes balanced and the vertical stroke straight.

贰 means 'two' or 'double' and has a different radical (贝 with a 二 component), used in banking for writing the number 2. 贱 means 'cheap' or 'lowly' and has the same radical 贝 but with 戋 (jiān), often used to describe price or status. In contrast, 赉 specifically relates to giving gifts or awards.

赉 is quite formal and mostly appears in written or historical contexts, like official rewards or imperial bestowals. For example, 赉赏 means 'to award a prize', and you might see it in news about government honors or in classical literature. It is not common in daily conversation.

Common words containing 赉 include: 赉赏 (lài shǎng) — to award; to bestow a prize; 赉予 (lài yǔ) — to bestow; to grant; 赉发 (lài fā) — to issue; to distribute (rewards).