How to Write 茑 (niǎo) — Meaning “cypress vine”

Imagine a small bird sitting on a grass stem, and that bird is actually a cypress vine growing upward. The combination of grass (艹) and bird (鸟) forms 茑, reminding you that this is a climbing plant with a bird-like name.

Write the grass radical 艹 first with three strokes (horizontal, vertical, vertical), making sure it is not too wide. Then add the bird component 鸟, paying attention to the dot placed inside the top of the bird shape; keep the overall character balanced and not too tall.

茑 has the bird component 鸟 below the grass, while 兹 has a different bottom part (two silk threads) and is pronounced zī, meaning 'now' or 'this'. 艻 uses 力 (strength) below the grass, is pronounced lè, and is a rare plant name. Always check the bottom part to tell them apart.

茑 is rare and not in the HSK vocabulary. It appears in the name of the cypress vine plant (茑萝, niǎo luó) and in the literary phrase 茑与丝, which metaphorically describes a close, dependent relationship, like a vine clinging to a tree.

Common words containing 茑 include: 茑萝 (niǎo luó) — cypress vine; 茑松 (niǎo sōng) — cypress vine; 茑与丝 (niǎo yǔ sī) — cypress vine and silk (metaphor for dependence).