How to Write 裣 (liǎn) — Meaning “To gather (one's skirt); to restrain”

Imagine a person in traditional dress gathering their skirt with both hands — the right side 佥 looks like two hands meeting. The pinyin 'liǎn' sounds like 'lean', so picture someone leaning down to gather their skirt. This combines the sound and shape to help recall the meaning.

Pay special attention to the left radical 衤, which has two short dots at the bottom — do not confuse it with 礻 (spirit radical), which has only one dot. The right side 佥 starts with a narrow 人 on top, then a horizontal line, followed by a middle section and a final horizontal; keep the whole right side balanced and not too wide.

裣 (to gather) uses 佥 on the right, while 袍 (robe) uses 包 (wrap) and 袒 (to bare) uses 旦 (dawn). Visually, 裣 has more strokes and a compact right side, whereas 袍 has a curved 包 and 袒 has a simple 旦. In meaning, 裣 is about bringing together clothing, 袍 is a garment itself, and 袒 is about exposing.

裣 is quite rare in everyday speech and appears mainly in classical or formal written Chinese. Common words include 裣衽 (to curtsy, a traditional female greeting) and 裣容 (to compose one's features). It carries a historical or literary flavor, so you might encounter it in novels or historical dramas.

Common words containing 裣 include: 裣衽 (liǎn rèn) — To curtsy (traditional female greeting); 裣容 (liǎn róng) — To compose one's features; to look serious; 裣迹 (liǎn jì) — To withdraw from public life.