How to Write 峁 (mǎo) — Meaning “Mao (a loess hill with a rounded top)”

Imagine a mountain (山) wearing a round cap or a rabbit's head (卯 looks like a rabbit's ears and head). The cap's rounded shape helps you recall that 峁 means a rounded loess hill.

Write 山 (3 strokes) first, then the lower part 卯 (5 strokes). Make sure the bottom part is not too tall — keep it balanced under the mountain. A common mistake is to make the left side of 卯 too wide; the whole character should be compact.

峁 specifically names a rounded loess hill. 屹 (yì) means 'towering' or 'standing upright' like a steep peak, and 屺 (qǐ) means a bare hill without plants. Visually, 峁 has 卯 below, while 屹 has 乞 and 屺 has 己.

峁 is used mainly in geography and local place names, especially in northern China's Loess Plateau, to describe its characteristic rounded hills. It is not common in everyday speech, but appears in terms like 山峁 (shān mǎo) for a loess hill and 梁峁 (liáng mǎo) for ridges and mounds.

Common words containing 峁 include: 山峁 (shān mǎo) — Loess hill; 峁顶 (mǎo dǐng) — The top of a loess hill; 梁峁 (liáng mǎo) — Loess ridges and mounds.