How to Write 歃 (shà) — Meaning “to smear blood (as an oath)”

Imagine two leaders uniting (合) by opening their mouths (欠) to taste each other's blood, sealing their oath. This visual of 'unite + mouth' directly recalls the character's meaning of smearing blood in a vow.

The left part 合 has 6 strokes and should be written compactly, while the right part 欠 has 4 strokes with the final stroke (捺) extending slightly to the right. A common mistake is to make the left side too wide or to confuse the stroke order of 合, so practice writing it with even spacing.

Unlike 歃 (left 合), 欲 has left component 谷 (valley) and means 'desire,' while 欶 has left component 束 (bundle) and means 'to suck.' Visually, 歃's left side has a horizontal line through the center of 口, whereas 欲 has a 人 over 口, and 欶 has 束 with a vertical stroke.

歃 is very rare in everyday language, appearing mainly in the classical idiom 歃血为盟 (shà xuè wéi méng), meaning 'to swear an oath by smearing blood on the lips.' This refers to an ancient ritual where alliance members would drink or smear blood to seal a pact, and it is still used today in historical or ceremonial contexts.

Common words containing 歃 include: 歃血 (shà xuè) — to smear blood on the lips as a sign of an oath; 歃盟 (shà méng) — to swear an oath of alliance.