How to Write 苹 (píng) — Meaning “Apple; duckweed”

Imagine a flat green apple (平) sitting on a patch of grass (艹). The top part 艹 looks like grass, and the bottom 平 looks like a flat apple with a stem – this image combines both the plant nature and the ‘flat’ sound píng.

Write the grass radical 艹 first: a horizontal stroke, then a left vertical, then a right vertical (like a short '艹' shape). Then write 平: start with a horizontal stroke, then a small vertical, then a short upward stroke on the left, and finally a long vertical down the middle – be careful not to make the bottom part too tall, as 苹 is balanced with a flat top.

苹 has 平 as its lower part, while 兹 has 玄 (a complex symbol meaning 'here') and 艻 has 力 (strength). Visually, 苹 looks like grass on a flat surface, 兹 looks like grass over a curly shape, and 艻 looks like grass with a force radical – their meanings and pronunciations are completely different.

苹 is most commonly used in the word 苹果 (píng guǒ), meaning 'apple', a fruit eaten worldwide. In Chinese culture, apples symbolize peace because 苹 sounds like 平 (peace) – red apples are often given as gifts for good wishes. The original meaning 'duckweed' is now rare and only appears in old texts.

Common words containing 苹 include: 苹果 (píng guǒ) — Apple; 苹果汁 (píng guǒ zhī) — Apple juice; 青苹果 (qīng píng guǒ) — green apple.