How to Write 丏 (miǎn) — Meaning “hidden; to screen”

Imagine a tall vertical wall (the vertical stroke) with a roof (the top horizontal) and a small ledge at the bottom (the bottom horizontal) – this hides a person behind it. The shape looks like a simple hiding spot, helping you recall that 丏 means 'hidden' or 'to screen'.

Write the top horizontal stroke first, then the vertical stroke straight down through the middle. Finally, add a short horizontal stroke at the bottom that extends to the left – do not add a hook like in similar characters. The bottom stroke should be level and shorter than the top one.

Unlike 丁, which ends with a vertical hook (like a nail), 丏 has a straight vertical line and a separate horizontal stroke at the bottom. Compared to 丂, which features a curved hook or tail, 丏 has a distinct leftward horizontal bottom stroke with no curve.

丏 is extremely rare in modern Chinese and does not appear in HSK vocabulary. It is mainly found in classical texts or compound words like 丏视 (to peek from a hidden spot) and 丏缘 (a hidden edge), often carrying a literary or poetic tone.

Common words containing 丏 include: 丏视 (miǎn shì) — to look askance; to peek; 丏缘 (miǎn yuán) — hidden edge; screened border; 丏丏 (miǎn miǎn) — murmuring; continuous sound.