How to Write 氍 (qú) — Meaning “woollen rug”

Imagine a thick woolen rug (毛) that is so luxurious you stare at it with wide eyes (瞿 looks like two eyes and a bird). The pinyin "qú" sounds like "cue," so think of a pool cue resting on a fluffy rug.

Start by writing the radical 毛 (four strokes) wide enough to cover the bottom part 瞿. The bottom part has 18 strokes: first two 目 ("eye") characters, then 隹 (short-tailed bird), so keep each section balanced. A common mistake is making the 隹 too tall or compressing the two 目, so practice writing each component separately.

The most common expression is 氍毹 (qú shū), which means a woollen rug but also metaphorically refers to the stage in Chinese opera. Other phrases include 红氍 (hóng qú, red woolen rug) and 氍毹梦 (qú shū mèng, dreams of a theatrical career), all used in literary or performance-related contexts.

氍 is a very rare character not in the HSK list, found mostly in classical literature or historical descriptions of theater. Culturally, 氍毹 (qú shū) symbolizes the stage because traditional Chinese opera stages were covered with woollen rugs, so the word evokes elegance and performing arts.

Common words containing 氍 include: 氍毹 (qú shū) — woollen rug / the stage; 红氍 (hóng qú) — red woolen rug; 氍毹梦 (qú shū mèng) — dreams of a theatrical career.