How to Write 匏 (páo) — Meaning “bottle gourd”

Imagine a bottle gourd wrapped in a cloth — the top radical 勹 looks like a cloth covering, and the bottom part looks like a round gourd shape. Alternatively, think of "páo" as the sound of a gourd being tapped.

Start with the radical 勹 (3 strokes: left-falling, horizontal hook, left-falling), then write the bottom part carefully — it is not simply 瓜, but has an extra vertical stroke in the middle. Make sure the top wrapper is narrow and the bottom section is wider and balanced.

匍 (pú) and 匐 (fú) both mean "to crawl" or "to lie down," while 匏 (páo) means "bottle gourd." Visually, 匍 has 甫 inside, 匐 has 畐 inside, but 匏 has a gourd-like bottom. Their usage is completely different: 匏 is a noun, the others are verbs.

匏 is not common in daily modern Chinese; it appears mainly in classical texts, traditional crafts, or literary idioms. For example, 匏器 refers to artistic vessels made from dried gourds, and the idiom 匏系 (tied-up gourd) describes someone who is useless or stuck.

Common words containing 匏 include: 匏瓜 (páo guā) — bottle gourd; 匏器 (páo qì) — gourd vessel; gourd-based craft; 匏系 (páo xì) — to be tied up; to be useless (literary).