How to Write 缗 (mín) — Meaning “cord; string of coins”

Imagine a string of coins (纟) tied together at dusk (昏). The word "mín" sounds like "mean"—a mean person might save all their coins on a single string. This visual and sound link helps you recall that 缗 means a cord for coins.

Write the left radical 纟 first as three strokes: 撇折, 撇折, 提. The right part is 昬: start with the top component similar to 氏 (without a dot), then add 日 below. Ensure the right side is not too wide; the whole character should be balanced with the narrow silk radical on the left.

缗 (mín) means a string of coins or fishing line, while 绠 (gěng) means a thick rope for drawing water from a well, and 绡 (xiāo) means raw silk fabric. Visually, the right side differs: 缗 has 昬, 绠 has 更, and 绡 has 肖. Their meanings and usages are distinct.

缗 is very rare in everyday speech but appears in historical or literary texts, for example in "缗钱" (string of coins) referring to ancient currency. In fishing, "钓缗" means fishing line. It is not in the HSK vocabulary, so learners will mostly encounter it when studying classical Chinese or historical topics.

Common words containing 缗 include: 缗钱 (mín qián) — string of coins; 钓缗 (diào mín) — Fishing line; 连缗 (lián mín) — strings of coins.