How to Write 蒎 (pài) — Meaning “pinane (chemical prefix)”

Imagine a pine tree (艹) sending out (派) a chemical called pinene. The top part looks like tree leaves, and the bottom part represents the action of 'sending' the chemical. This visual connects the grass radical to the pine origin and the phonetic component to the pronunciation.

Write the top radical 艹 first with a horizontal stroke followed by two vertical strokes. The bottom 派 has a left side of three dots (氵) and a right side that resembles a clothing radical; keep the whole character balanced by making the grass radical cover about one-third of the height. A common mistake is making the right side of 派 too wide, so ensure the width is even.

蒎 has 派 below the grass radical, while 荷 has 何 (hé) and 荸 has 孛 (bèi). Unlike 荷 (lotus) and 荸 (water chestnut), which are common plant names, 蒎 is a specialized chemical term used only in organic chemistry for pinane compounds. Visually, the bottom parts are distinct: 荷 has a person radical, 荸 has a child radical, and 蒎 has a water + clothing combination.

蒎 is used almost exclusively in organic chemistry as a prefix for compounds derived from pine resin, such as 蒎烯 (pinene) and 蒎烷 (pinane). You will find it in scientific literature, chemical textbooks, or industrial descriptions of pine oil products, but not in everyday speech or literature outside technical fields.

Common words containing 蒎 include: 蒎烯 (pài xī) — pinene; 蒎烷 (pài wán) — pinane; 蒎油 (pài yóu) — pine oil.