How to Write 垆 (lú) — Meaning “black stiff soil”

Imagine a black, hard lump of soil (土) sitting inside an old-fashioned wine counter (think of a wooden stand). The right side 卢 looks like a tall counter with a shelf, and the black soil reminds you of the dark earth under it. So, picture a wine shop counter made of dark, stiff soil to remember 垆 (lú) for both soil and "wine shop counter" in 酒垆.

The left radical 土 should be written narrow and slightly taller, with the horizontal stroke shorter than the top horizontal of 卢 on the right. The right part 卢 has a large 口 (mouth) at the top and a 尸 (corpse) component below — make sure the 尸’s left stroke extends down past the 口, not cutting it short. Common mistake: writing the 口 too wide or forgetting the final dot inside 卢 (the small dot above the last stroke).

垆 (lú) means "black stiff soil" and appears in words like 酒垆 (wine shop counter), while 在 (zài) means "to be at, exist" and is a very common preposition. 圩 (wéi or xū) usually means "dike" or "fair/market" depending on pronunciation. Visually, 垆 has 卢 on the right, 在 has 才 (talent) on the left as a variant, and 圩 has 干 (dry) on the right — their meanings and usage are completely different.

垆 is rare in everyday speech and not in HSK; you mainly encounter it in classical literature or historical contexts. The most common word is 酒垆 (jiǔ lú), referring to an ancient wine shop counter or stand, often mentioned in poems or stories. 黄垆 (huáng lú, yellow earth) is a literary term for a grave, and 垆土 (lú tǔ) is a specialized soil science term for stiff clay soil.

Common words containing 垆 include: 酒垆 (jiǔ lú) — Wine shop counter; 黄垆 (huáng lú) — yellow earth (often referring to a grave); 垆土 (lú tǔ) — black stiff soil.