How to Write 稂 (láng) — Meaning “weeds; bristlegrass”

Imagine that the grain (禾) looks good (良) but is actually a weed — so it's a fake good plant. This contrast helps you remember that 稂 means unwanted weeds, not real grain.

Write the left radical 禾 first with its four strokes, then add the right side 良. Make sure the right side's strokes are balanced — the upper part is 日 (sun) but with a horizontal stroke instead of a bottom line, and the last two strokes are 撇 and 捺.

秘 (mì, secret) also uses 禾 on the left, but its right side is 必 (bì), meaning "must." 秝 (lì) is rare and means rows of crops, written as two 禾 side by side. 稂 is specifically a weed, while 秘 is a common word for secret and 秝 is an ancient term.

稂 is very rare in daily life, mostly appearing in classical texts or idioms like 不稂不莠 (bù láng bù yǒu), which describes a useless or good-for-nothing person. It functions as a metaphor for bad people when paired with 莠 (yǒu, weeds).

Common words containing 稂 include: 稂莠 (láng yǒu) — weeds; (metaphor) bad people; 稂草 (láng cǎo) — weeds; wolf-tail grass; 不稂不莠 (bù láng bù yǒu) — useless; good-for-nothing.