How to Write 坜 (lì) — Meaning “ditch / trench”

Imagine a calendar (历) that fell into a muddy ditch (土) and got stuck. The calendar represents the sound "lì," and the dirt around it reminds you that the character means a trench in the earth. This visual picture will help you link the shape to the meaning.

The left part 土 should be narrow and slightly taller, with the bottom horizontal stroke slightly rising. The right part 历 has four strokes: first a horizontal, then a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal, then a vertical curved hook — make sure the hook is not too big. A common mistake is making the 土 too wide, which unbalances the character.

坜 has the right side 历 (calendar shape), while 圣 has the right side 又 (a cross shape) and means "holy." 圤 has the right side 卜 (a divination symbol), so its meaning is different. Visually, 坜 looks like earth plus a short roof and a hook, whereas 圣 has a compact cross on top of earth.

坜 is very rare and not part of the HSK vocabulary. It appears mostly in old texts or in some dialect words like 坑坜 (a pit or hollow) and in place names near ditches. You might see it in rural descriptions of farmland or drainage channels, but for everyday Chinese you will almost never need it.

Common words containing 坜 include: 坑坜 (kēng lì) — Pit; hollow.; 坜上 (lì shàng) — on the ditch; 坜边 (lì biān) — by the ditch.