How to Write 畧 (lüè) — Meaning “Brief or slight (variant of 略)”

Imagine a field (田) where each (各) section is only a small or brief part of the whole. This visual of a field split into tiny portions helps you recall that 畧 means 'slight' or 'brief'.

Write the top 田 first with balanced strokes, then the bottom 各. A common mistake is making the 田 too big or the 各 too tall—aim for the two halves to be roughly equal in height. The stroke order is standard: 田 (5 strokes) then 各 (6 strokes).

畧 has a top-bottom structure (田 on top, 各 below) and means 'brief' or 'slight'. In contrast, 畈 (fàn) is left-right with 田 on the left and 反 on the right, meaning 'farmland'; 畋 (tián) is also left-right with 田 on the left and 攵 on the right, meaning 'to hunt'. Visually, 畧 is the only one with a vertical stacking pattern.

畧 is a rare variant of 略, mainly seen in traditional or calligraphic writing. In modern simplified Chinese, 略 is standard, so you will almost never encounter 畧 in daily use. It may appear in classical texts or artistic contexts as an alternate form.

Common words containing 畧 include: 畧微 (lüè wēi) — Slightly (variant); 畧知 (lüè zhī) — To have a slight knowledge of; 畧同 (lüè tóng) — Roughly the same.