How to Write 沔 (miǎn) — Meaning “Mian (name of a river)”

Imagine a river (氵) that is so wide and calm that it looks like a "free" (丐) flowing body of water. The shape of 丐 can be thought of as a river bending around a small hill. This visual helps link the water radical to the specific river name.

The left radical 氵 must be written as three dots in a vertical line, with the second dot slightly to the left. The right side 丐 has a horizontal stroke crossing the vertical stroke; make sure the top horizontal is short and the bottom stroke bends upward. A common mistake is making the right side look like 可 or 万, so pay attention to the final hook.

沔 (miǎn) is a river name with the water radical, while 㳄 (xián) looks similar but has a different right side and means "spit" or "saliva" (not a common character). 氿 (guǐ or jiǔ) has a different right side (九) and refers to a spring or a specific place name. In writing, 沔's right side is 丐, whereas 㳄 has 欠 and 氿 has 九.

沔 is primarily used in historical place names like 沔阳 (Mianyang) and 沔县 (Mian County), both in Shaanxi province. It also appears in classical literature when referring to the Mian River. Today, it is rarely used in everyday conversation, but you may encounter it in geography or historical texts related to ancient China.

Common words containing 沔 include: 沔水 (miǎn shuǐ) — the Mian River; 沔阳 (miǎn yáng) — Mianyang (a historical place name); 沔县 (miǎn xiàn) — Mian County (in Shaanxi province).