How to Write 搦 (nuò) — Meaning “to hold or provoke”

Imagine your hand (扌) grabbing a weak (弱) opponent — you hold them tight or provoke them into a fight. Visualize squeezing a weak branch with your hand: it snaps, but you still hold it firmly to remember 搦's sense of grasping or challenging.

The right side 弱 has symmetrical parts: write the top 弓, then the bottom 弓, each with three strokes, and don't forget the tiny 丶 (dot) above each 弓. A common mistake is making the two 弓 uneven or forgetting the dots, so practice balancing them left and right.

Unlike 捧 (pěng, to hold with both hands), 搦 often implies holding with force or challenging someone. 挲 (shā/suō) means to stroke or rub gently, whereas 搦 involves gripping or provoking — so 搦 is stronger and more aggressive in tone.

搦 is rare in daily conversation but appears in literary or historical contexts. In phrases like 搦战 (to challenge to a fight) and 搦管 (to hold a writing brush), it evokes classical Chinese, so you might find it in martial arts novels or traditional calligraphy discussions.

Common words containing 搦 include: 搦管 (nuò guǎn) — to hold a pen or brush; 搦战 (nuò zhàn) — to challenge to a fight; 搦住 (nuò zhù) — to hold tight.