How to Write 廪 (lǐn) — Meaning “Granary / Government stipend”

Picture a tall building (广) with a pile of grain inside (the lower part resembles 禾 for grain and 示 for showing). Think of it as a "government grain building" where officials show the grain supply. The 16 strokes represent a full granary.

The radical 广 must cover the entire lower part, not just the top-left. The lower portion has two boxes stacked: the top box contains 禾 (grain) and the bottom box contains 示 (altar), but be careful—the vertical stroke of 禾 should not extend into the bottom 示. A common mistake is making the 广 too small or separating the lower components.

廪 (lǐn) contains a lower part with 禾 and 示, meaning granary or stipend. 廑 (jǐn) has 堇 under 广, meaning a humble cottage or diligent (rare), while 廖 (liào) has 翏 under 广, used mostly as a surname. Visually, 廪 has more horizontal strokes in its lower half compared to 廑 and 廖.

廪 is mainly used in formal or historical contexts, such as 仓廪 (cāng lǐn) for state granaries in ancient China. It appears in classical texts and administrative terms like 廪给 (government salary). Today it is not common in daily conversation but is still studied for classical literature and history.

Common words containing 廪 include: 仓廪 (cāng lǐn) — Granary or storehouse; 廪给 (lǐn gěi) — Stipend / Government allowance; 廪食 (lǐn shí) — Government-provided food.