How to Write 膫 (liáo) — Meaning “internal fat; animal fat”

Imagine a piece of meat (月) being cooked over a fire (尞, similar to 燎 meaning to burn). As it cooks, white fat drips out — that is 膫, animal fat. The pinyin "liáo" sounds like "lard," which is pig fat.

The left 月 should be thin and vertical, not too wide. The right part 尞 has strokes: first horizontal, then 日 (sun), then 小 (small) at the bottom — keep the 小 compact and centered. A common mistake is making the 小 too large or spreading the right side too far right.

膫 (liáo) means animal fat and has right side 尞 (a horizontal, sun, small). 朦 (méng) means dim or hazy, with right side 蒙 (grass top, then cover, then pig?). 膀 (bǎng) means shoulder or wing, with right side 旁 (standing, cover, square). Visually focus on the different right components.

膫 is very rare and mostly appears in classical Chinese or dialects. In some regions, 膫子 means pig fat or lard. It is not in HSK and is not used in everyday conversation, but you might encounter it in historical texts about cooking or animal husbandry.

Common words containing 膫 include: 膫子 (liáo zi) — pig fat; lard; 膫膏 (liáo gāo) — fat; grease; 膫脂 (liáo zhī) — animal fat; lard.