How to Write 描 (miáo) — Meaning “To trace or sketch”

Imagine using your hand (扌) to trace the shape of a small seedling (苗) on paper. The picture of a seedling has leaves and a stem, and you are sketching its outline with your fingers. This link between hand and seedling makes the character easy to recall.

Write the left radical 扌 first: horizontal, vertical hook, then lift (the last stroke is a short rising stroke). Then add 苗, which starts with the grass-top (艹) as two dots or short strokes, followed by 田 (field) below. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide or the grass-top too big – keep the hand side narrow and the seedling side balanced.

描 has the radical 扌 and the phonetic part 苗, meaning "trace or sketch." 拜 (bài) has the radical 手 (hand) on the left and a different right part — it means "worship" or "bow." 括 (kuò) also has 扌 but the right part is 舌 (tongue), meaning "include" or "encompass." Visually, 描 contains 苗 (seedling), 括 contains 舌 (tongue), and 拜 has a different shape entirely.

描 appears in words like 描写 (miáo xiě, "to describe"), 扫描 (sǎo miáo, "to scan"), and 描绘 (miáo huì, "to depict"). It is used when talking about describing scenes in writing or art, scanning documents, or sketching in drawing. In Chinese culture, 描绘 is often used for traditional landscape painting, where artists carefully trace details of nature.

Common words containing 描 include: 描写 (miáo xiě) — To describe or depict; 扫描 (sǎo miáo) — to scan; 描绘 (miáo huì) — To depict or describe.