How to Write 苘 (qǐng) — Meaning “abutilon / Indian mallow”

Imagine grass (艹) growing around a small rectangular house (冋) — the abutilon plant's fibers were once used to make thatched roofs or coarse fabric for houses. The house shape inside reminds you of the plant's practical use as a material. This visual link helps you associate the character with Indian mallow.

Write the grass radical first with three strokes: horizontal, then two vertical strokes. The lower part 冋 requires five strokes: first the left vertical, then top horizontal turning downward, then the small 口 inside (vertical, horizontal, horizontal). A common mistake is making the inner 口 too large or forgetting the closing stroke at the bottom right, so keep the enclosure balanced.

苘 has a square enclosure 冋 under the grass radical, while 兹 has two threads (幺) stacked under 艹. 艻 also has the grass radical but a different bottom — it uses 力 (strength). Visually, 苘 looks like a plant inside a box, 兹 resembles tangled threads, and 艻 looks like a plant with a force mark. Their meanings are unrelated: 苘 is a specific plant, 兹 means "this," and 艻 is a rare plant name.

苘 appears almost exclusively in botanical terms like 苘麻 (qǐng má, Indian mallow or abutilon) and 苘子 (qǐng zi, its seeds). It is not an HSK character and is rarely used in daily conversation, mostly in agricultural or historical texts about fiber plants. The abutilon plant was traditionally grown in China for making sacks, ropes, and coarse cloth.

Common words containing 苘 include: 苘麻 (qǐng má) — abutilon / Indian mallow; 苘子 (qǐng zi) — abutilon seeds; 采苘 (cǎi qǐng) — to gather jute or abutilon.