How to Write 诔 (lěi) — Meaning “Eulogy; to write a eulogy”

Think of a eulogy (诔) as a speech (讠) given at a funeral for someone who spent their life plowing (耒) through challenges. The plow shape helps you recall the right side.

The right part 耒 has three horizontal strokes before the vertical stroke, and the last stroke is a dot. A common mistake is making the vertical stroke too long or forgetting the dot at the end. Keep the left radical narrow and the right part balanced.

诔 specifically means a eulogy or funeral text, while 讲 means 'to speak' or 'to explain' and 讳 means 'to avoid mentioning' or 'taboo'. Visually, 诔 has 耒 on the right, 讲 has 井 (well), and 讳 has 韦 (leather).

诔 is very rare in everyday speech and appears mostly in classical literature or formal, written eulogies. It carries a strong cultural association with ancient Chinese funeral traditions where a scholar would compose a悼文 (eulogy) for the deceased.

Common words containing 诔 include: 诔文 (lěi wén) — Eulogy text; funeral oration; 哀诔 (āi lěi) — funeral oration; elegy; 诔辞 (lěi cí) — Eulogy; funeral speech.