How to Write 堋 (péng) — Meaning “to cover with earth; archery target”

Imagine a friend (朋) standing on a pile of earth (土) practicing archery—the earth mound is the target. The two parts together make 堋, which sounds like 'peng' and reminds you of a target made of earth.

The left side 土 should be narrower than the right side 朋, and the bottom stroke of 土 is a horizontal line that stops before the 朋 component. Pay attention to the two '月' parts in 朋—they must be even in size and not touch the left 土.

型 (xíng, model) has 刑 on top and 土 below, while 堋 has 朋 on the right. 垌 (dòng, field or cave) uses 同 inside its 土 radical, giving a different look. Remember: 堋 is the only one with the 'friend' component 朋 on the right side.

堋 is very rare in daily use, mostly found in proper names (e.g., 堋云) and technical terms for dams or embankments (e.g., 堋口, 堋岸). It appears in classical texts describing archery targets, but today you will mainly encounter it in place names or as a surname.

Common words containing 堋 include: 堋云 (péng yún) — Pengyun (often a name); 堋口 (péng kǒu) — mouth of a dam or embankment; 堋岸 (péng àn) — embankment; dike.