How to Write 褰 (qiān) — Meaning “to lift up (a garment or curtain)”

Imagine a roof (宀) over a "no" sign (非) on your clothes (衣), so you lift them up to avoid touching the roof. Another trick: think of "qian" as "quick, lift your clothes" when you see the roof. This visual story links the shape to the action.

Write the top part 宀 first, then the 非 component (left strokes then right), and finally the 衣 at the bottom. A common mistake is making the 衣 too narrow or forgetting that 非 has three strokes on each side. Keep the top and middle sections balanced so the whole character does not look tilted.

褰 has a roof (宀) above 非 and 衣, while 裴 has only 非 on top of 衣 without a roof, and 裳 has 尚 above 衣. In meaning, 褰 means "to lift up", 裳 refers to clothing, and 裴 is a surname. Visually, the extra 宀 is the key difference.

褰 is rare in everyday speech and not in the HSK word lists. It appears in literary or classical contexts, such as the idiom 褰裳 (to lift one's skirt) or 褰帷 (to lift a curtain). It carries a poetic or formal tone, often describing an elegant gesture from ancient times.

Common words containing 褰 include: 褰起 (qiān qǐ) — to lift up; to raise; 褰裳 (qiān shang) — to lift up one's skirt or clothes; 褰帷 (qiān wéi) — to lift up a curtain.