How to Write 篾 (miè) — Meaning “bamboo strip”

Picture the top 竹 as a bundle of bamboo, and the bottom part 蔑 as a person carefully cutting thin strips with a spear-like tool (戈) while keeping an eye (目) on the work. This visual combines the idea of bamboo strips being crafted by hand. You can also remember that 篾 sounds like "meet" — you "meet" bamboo strips when weaving.

Start with the bamboo radical (竹) written as two small "个" shapes, then write the bottom part 蔑: first the grass-top (艹), then 目 (eye), and finally 戈 (spear). Pay attention to the bottom-right 戈 — the last stroke is a dot, not a hook, and the horizontal stroke before it should slightly slant upward. A common mistake is making the 戈 too large; keep it balanced under the bamboo.

篾 specifically means "bamboo strip" used for weaving, while 箴 (zhēn) means "admonish" or "needle" and is made from 竹 + 咸.篁 (huáng) means "bamboo grove" and is made from 竹 + 皇. Visually, 篾 has the bottom component 蔑, 箴 has 咸 on the right or bottom, and 篁 has 皇 below.

篾 appears in words like 竹篾 (bamboo strips), 篾席 (bamboo mat), and 篾筐 (bamboo basket), all related to traditional bamboo weaving. It is not common in daily conversation but is used in craft descriptions and cultural contexts. Bamboo weaving using 篾 is a valued intangible cultural heritage in many parts of China.

Common words containing 篾 include: 竹篾 (zhú miè) — Bamboo strips; 篾筐 (miè kuāng) — bamboo basket; 篾席 (miè xí) — bamboo mat.