How to Write 卿 (qīng) — Meaning “high official or dear”

Picture a high official (卿) kneeling on one knee (卩) while holding a tray of food (the left side) for the emperor. This image connects the character's components to its meaning of a court official or dear companion.

The left side has 9 strokes and must be written narrow, while the right radical 卩 has just 1 stroke but should extend slightly lower. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or forgetting the small horizontal line inside the top-left component.

卿 has the radical 卩 on the right and means "high official" or "dear", while 卸 (xiè) uses a different left side and means "to unload". 卺 (jǐn) looks like a double 卩 and refers to a wine cup used in ancient weddings, having nothing to do with officials or endearment.

Today 卿 appears mostly in formal or historical terms like 爱卿 ("my dear") used by emperors to officials, or in affectionate expressions like 卿卿 ("darling"). It is rarely used in daily conversation but appears in classical literature, historical dramas, and poetic language to add a refined, romantic tone.

Common words containing 卿 include: 爱卿 (ài qīng) — My dear (term used by emperors to officials or spouses); 卿卿 (qīng qīng) — darling or my dear; 卿相 (qīng xiāng) — high ministers.