How to Write 硕 (shuò) — Meaning “Large or eminent”

Imagine a huge stone (石) rolling down a hill and knocking over a giant head (页) — the "large" head emphasizes the meaning of "big" or "eminent." The stroke count of 11 can be remembered as 11 giant stones.

Write the left side 石 first: horizontal, left-slanting stroke, then the mouth shape (vertical, horizontal, vertical). Then write the right side 页: horizontal, vertical, horizontal stroke, then the bottom "贝" carefully. Keep both sides balanced — 石 slightly smaller and higher, 页 wider to fill the square.

硕 means large or eminent, while 砂 (shā) means sand or gravel — it uses 少 (few) instead of 页. 砉 (huā or xū) describes a cracking or whooshing sound, with 丰 (abundant) or 華 as phonetic. So 硕 shares the stone radical but has a completely different right side and meaning.

硕 appears in academic vocabulary like 硕士 (master's degree) meaning a scholar of high status, and 硕果 (great results) often used to celebrate achievements. The word 硕大 (huge) is common in descriptions of size. In Chinese culture, 硕 also appears in idioms like 硕大无朋 (extremely large beyond comparison).

Common words containing 硕 include: 硕士 (shuò shì) — Master's degree; 硕大 (shuò dà) — Huge; 硕果 (shuò guǒ) — Great results.