How to Write 蔺 (lìn) — Meaning “rush (a type of grass)”

Imagine a rush grass plant (艹) growing inside a grand gate (門) with a short vertical stroke (丨) inside — think of "grass entering a gate to make a mat." The lower part 閵 looks like a gate (門) with a vertical line, which can remind you that rush grass is often woven into mats for doorways.

Write the top radical 艹 first as two horizontal strokes, then the lower part 閵: start with the outer 門 (dot, vertical, horizontal fold hook, vertical) then the inner 丶 (dot) and 丨 (vertical line). A common mistake is making the inner part 隹 (bird) instead of 閵 — note the right side of 閵 has a dot and a vertical line, not a full character.

蔺 (lìn) means a specific rush grass used for mats, while 莿 (cì) means thorn or thorny plant, with a different lower part (刺). 菐 (pú) refers to a type of weed or overgrown grass, with the lower part 菐 (pú) meaning "in disorder". Visually, 蔺 has 門 inside, 莿 has 刺 (thorn), and 菐 has 菐 (two 艹 stacked).

蔺 is most commonly used as a surname (姓蔺) and in words for rush grass products like 蔺草 (lìn cǎo, rush grass) and 蔺席 (lìn xí, rush mat). These mats are traditional in East Asia, especially for tatami flooring, and the rush grass is known for its pleasant scent and cooling texture.

Common words containing 蔺 include: 蔺草 (lìn cǎo) — rush grass; 蔺席 (lìn xí) — rush mat; 姓蔺 (xìng lìn) — Surname Lin.