How to Write 㐭 (lǐn) — Meaning “Ancient character for granary”

Picture a small barn with a flat roof: the top dot and line (亠) are the roof, and the square below with a vertical line inside looks like a room with a support pillar. Imagine that pillar holding up the granary to keep the grain dry.

Start with the dot and horizontal line of 亠, then write the bottom part: left vertical, inner horizontal, middle vertical, then the bottom horizontal and right vertical. A common mistake is making the inner vertical too short or forgetting that the bottom enclosure should be slightly wider than the top roof.

The main difference is the top: 㐭 begins with 亠 (a dot on a horizontal line), while 㐬 starts with a different top (resembling 亡) and 交 has two crossing lines (like 六 without the top dot). Visually, 㐭 looks like a roof over a square, whereas 交 looks like a person with crossed legs.

㐭 is an ancient character rarely used today, found only in classical texts or historical discussions about granaries. Culturally, it reflects the importance of grain storage in ancient China, where a well-filled granary meant security against famine.

Common words containing 㐭 include: 㐭仓 (lǐn cāng) — Granary; 㐭食 (lǐn shí) — To provide food (archaic); 㐭给 (lǐn gěi) — To provide or supply (archaic).