How to Write 榀 (pǐn) — Meaning “truss (measure word)”

Imagine a roof truss made of wooden beams arranged like three small boxes stacked in the shape of the character 品 (pǐn). Since a truss holds up a roof, picture the three "boxes" (品) sitting on a wooden base (木) to support the structure above.

When writing 榀, note that the left part 木 is narrower and slightly taller to make room for the right part 品. The right side 品 should be centered vertically, and its three "口" components must be evenly spaced and same size—a common mistake is making the middle "口" too large or off-center.

榀 (pǐn) is a measure word for roof trusses, while 桫 (suō) refers to a type of tree called the spinulose tree fern, and 桲 (bó) means a pomelo fruit or a wooden tool. Visually, 榀 has the right component 品, but 桫 uses 沙 and 桲 uses 孛, so their pronunciations and meanings are completely different.

榀 is a specialized architectural term used as a measure word for roof trusses, for example 一榀屋架 (yī pǐn wū jià, one roof truss). It appears mainly in engineering or construction documents, not in everyday conversation, and reflects the traditional use of wooden frameworks in Chinese building.

Common words containing 榀 include: 榀架 (pǐn jià) — roof truss; 屋榀 (wū pǐn) — Roof truss.; 一榀 (yī pǐn) — a truss (architectural measure word).