How to Write 荦 (luò) — Meaning “distinct; clear; meat”

Picture a cow (牛) standing under a patch of grass (艹) to represent meat from pasture. The dot and line above the cow can remind you of a "clear" marker. This image helps link both meanings of meat and distinctness.

Write the grass radical (艹) first with three strokes: horizontal, vertical, vertical. Then add the top dot and horizontal line (like a lid), and finally the cow component (牛) below. A common mistake is forgetting the dot above the horizontal line, so make sure to include it.

兹 (zī) has the grass radical too but includes 兹 (a phonetic component) and means "this" or "now," not meat. 芈 (mǐ) is a goat-like animal and used in names, with a different bottom shape (羊). 荦 always includes a cow-like bottom, linking to meat or clarity.

荦 is not common in daily speech but appears in formal or classical phrases like 荤荦 (meat dishes) and 荦荦大端 (the main points). It is also found in the word 卓荦 (outstanding), often used in literary or historical texts.

Common words containing 荦 include: 荤荦 (hūn luò) — meat dishes; 荦荦大端 (luò luò dà duān) — the main points; the salient features; 卓荦 (zhuó luò) — outstanding; brilliant.