How to Write 铆 (mǎo) — Meaning “to rivet”

Imagine a metal rivet (钅) that looks like a small "cat" with a flat head — the right side 卯 resembles a cat's face with two ears and a nose. Say: "The metal cat (卯) is hammered to join pieces together."

The left radical 钅 is narrow — write the first two strokes (撇, 横) slanted, then a horizontal stroke, and finally two small strokes. The right part 卯 is wider: start with a left-right stroke like a tilted square, then add the two "ears" — keep the bottom open, not closed. A common mistake is making 卯 too tall or drawing the right side like the character 印 (yìn).

All three share the metal radical 钅, but their right sides differ. 铆 has 卯 (mortise), meaning "to rivet." 钍 has 土 (earth) and is the chemical symbol for thorium. 钎 has 千 (thousand) and means a brazing rod or drill steel. Visually, 卯 has two horizontal lines on top, while 土 is a cross, and 千 has a single stroke down.

铆 is used in engineering and construction contexts, such as 铆钉 (rivet) and 铆接 (riveting process). It also appears in the colloquial phrase 铆劲, meaning "to exert all one's strength" — for example, when someone is working hard like hammering a rivet. You will rarely see it in daily conversation, but it is common in technical manuals or factory settings.

Common words containing 铆 include: 铆钉 (mǎo dīng) — rivet; 铆接 (mǎo jiē) — riveting; 铆劲 (mǎo jìn) — to exert all one's strength.