How to Write 忕 (shì) — Meaning “Accustomed to”

Imagine a big heart (心 on left, but here 忄) that is so large (大 on right) that it has grown accustomed to its surroundings. You can think 'My heart is big, so I am used to things' — the big heart symbolizes being comfortable and habitual. This visual of a large heart helps connect the shape to its meaning of being accustomed.

Start with the vertical heart radical (忄): write the left dot, then the right dot, then the vertical stroke. Then add the character 大: horizontal stroke, left-down stroke, right-down stroke. The key is to make the heart radical narrow so it fits beside 大, and the horizontal stroke of 大 should be slightly above the center. A common mistake is making the radical too wide or misplacing the dots.

忕 (shì) means 'accustomed to' and uses the heart radical with 大. 忆 (yì) means 'to remember' and uses the heart radical with 乙 (a bent line). 忉 (dāo) means 'worried' and uses the heart radical with 刀 (knife). Visually, the right side differs: 大 (big) vs. 乙 (second) vs. 刀 (knife). Their meanings are distinct: habit, memory, and worry.

忕 is a rare character not included in the HSK vocabulary, and it appears mostly in classical or formal texts describing habitual behavior. You may encounter it in compound words like 忕习 (habitual practice) or 忕好 (habitual preference), but it is not common in everyday conversation. For most learners, knowing its meaning helps when reading older literature, but you will rarely need to write or use it actively.

Common words containing 忕 include: 忕习 (shì xí) — Habitual practice; 忕行 (shì xíng) — Habitual behavior; 忕好 (shì hǎo) — Habitual preference.