How to Write 衰 (shuāi) — Meaning “to decline; to wane; to weaken”

Picture a shirt (衣) with a hole (represented by the inner part) that is getting old and worn out, symbolizing decline. The inside looks like a broken '中' (center) — think 'center of your shirt is decaying' to link to 'to wane'.

Write 衰 in 10 strokes: first the top left horizontal and left-falling stroke of 衣, then the inner 口 (small square), then finish the right side of 衣 with a right-falling stroke and a small left-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the inner 口 too big — it should be compact so the outer 衣 wraps around it evenly.

衰 means 'to decline' and has 衣 as its outer wrapper, while 表 means 'surface; to show' and has a completely different structure (top is 青-like, bottom is 衣). 衮 (pronounced gǔn) refers to ceremonial robes and has a 衣 radical but with a different inner part (公); visually, 衰 has a square inner box, 衮 has a 公 inside.

衰 is common in words about decline or weakening, such as 衰退 (economic recession) and 衰老 (aging). Culturally, it often appears in phrases like 未老先衰 (to age before getting old) to describe someone looking or feeling older than their age.

Common words containing 衰 include: 衰老 (shuāi lǎo) — aging; old and feeble; 衰退 (shuāi tuì) — to decline; recession; to ebb; 衰弱 (shuāi ruò) — weak; feeble; debilitated.