How to Write 胼 (pián) — Meaning “callus”

Picture your hands rubbing together so much that they develop a thick callus — the left radical 月 looks like a hand, and the right part 并 looks like two flat surfaces pressing against each other. This image of friction and pressure helps you recall the meaning of callus.

Start with the left radical 月, writing it narrow with two horizontal strokes inside. Then write the right part 并: first two dots on top (like 丷), then a horizontal stroke, a vertical stroke, and finally a long horizontal stroke through the middle. A common mistake is writing only one dot on top instead of two.

胼 has the radical 月 on the left and 并 on the right, while 朋 is two 月 radicals side by side with no other component. 朊 has 月 on the left and 元 on the right, meaning protein. The right side of 胼 is unique with two dots and a vertical cross stroke.

胼 is used mainly in medical and literary words like 胼胝 (callus) and the idiom 胼手胝足 (callused hands and feet, meaning extremely hard work). It is not common in daily speech, but you may see it in health articles or classical writings about diligence.

Common words containing 胼 include: 胼胝 (pián zhī) — callus; callosity; 胼手胝足 (pián shǒu zhī zú) — to have callused hands and feet; to work extremely hard; 胼胝体 (pián zhī tǐ) — corpus callosum.