How to Write 裒 (póu) — Meaning “To collect; to gather; to reduce”

Imagine you use a mortar (臼) to grind and collect herbs, then wrap them in your clothing (衣) to carry them away. This visual of gathering into cloth helps link the shape to the meaning "to collect".

Write the top part 臼 first (left vertical, horizontal, horizontal, left-falling, horizontal, vertical, horizontal), then the bottom 衣 (dot, horizontal left-falling, vertical hook, left-falling, right-falling). A common mistake is making the top part too narrow or confusing 臼 with 曰 or 白 — keep the container shape wide enough.

裒 has 臼 (mortar) on top and means "to collect," while 衮 has 公 (public) and means "ceremonial robe." 衰 has a different top (口 with a line) and means "to decline." Visually, focus on the top component: 裒's top has two horizontal lines inside, 衮's top has a small 'ba' shape, and 衰's top looks like a mouth with a stroke through it.

裒 is rare and mainly appears in formal or classical phrases like 裒集 (póu jí, to collect and compile) and the idiom 裒多益寡 (take from the surplus to make up for the deficit). It is not used in everyday conversation but may be encountered in literary, academic, or historical texts.

Common words containing 裒 include: 裒集 (póu jí) — To collect and gather together; 裒多益寡 (póu duō yì guǎ) — Take from the surplus to make up for the deficit; 裒敛 (póu liǎn) — To collect or gather (taxes or money).