How to Write 葺 (qì) — Meaning “to repair / to mend”

Imagine using a handful of grass (艹) to patch a hole in your roof, whispering (咠) to yourself, 'I'll fix this soon.' The image of grass repairs and the sound 'qì' help link the shape to the meaning of mending.

Write the top radical 艹 first (horizontal, vertical, vertical), then the bottom 咠: start with the mouth 口, then 耳 (ear) with its horizontal stroke connecting through. A common mistake is to make the bottom too tall—keep 咠 compact and centered under the grass.

葺 (qì) means 'to repair' and is used with buildings, while 荷 (hé) means 'lotus' or 'to carry' and 荸 (bí) refers to the water chestnut plant. Visually, 葺 has a bottom component 咠, whereas 荷 has 何 and 荸 has 孛 under the grass radical.

葺 is mainly used in formal or literary contexts, especially in the word 修葺 (xiū qì) for renovating old buildings like temples or traditional houses. You won't hear it in daily conversation, but it appears in historical restoration notices and classical literature.

Common words containing 葺 include: 修葺 (xiū qì) — to renovate or mend a building; 葺理 (qì lǐ) — to tidy up / to repair; 补葺 (bǔ qì) — To repair / To mend.