How to Write 撂 (liào) — Meaning “to put down”

Picture your hand (扌) dropping three heavy books that look like three stacked fields (畾) onto a table. The sound "liào" can remind you of "lay oh" — you lay an object down.

Write the hand radical first (three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then stack three 田 (field) characters evenly on the right. A common mistake is making the three 田 too tall or uneven — keep each 田 squarish and the stack balanced.

撂 (liào) means "to put down" and has three stacked fields (畾) on the right. 掾 (yuàn) is a rare character for "clerk" with right part 彖. 揄 (yú) means "to pull or lift" with right part 俞. Their shapes and meanings are very different.

撂 is used in casual speech, like 撂下 (liào xià) meaning "to drop or leave behind" or 撂挑子 (liào tiāo zi) meaning "to suddenly quit a job" (like throwing down a carrying pole). 撂话 (liào huà) means "to leave a message or threat." It is not in HSK but is common in daily conversation.

Common words containing 撂 include: 撂下 (liào xià) — to drop or leave behind; 撂挑子 (liào tiāo zi) — to quit a job suddenly; 撂话 (liào huà) — to leave a message or threat.