How to Write 缌 (sī) — Meaning “fine linen (used for mourning clothes)”

Imagine a person wearing a fine linen mourning dress (纟) who is 'thinking' (思) sadly about the deceased. The pinyin sī sounds like 'sigh' — you sigh while wearing this special fabric.

Write the left radical 纟 first: three strokes (撇折, 撇折, 提). Then write the right part 思: start with 田 (field) and finish with 心 (heart). A common mistake is making the top of 田 too wide; keep it narrow so the whole character stays balanced.

缌 (sī) means fine mourning linen; 绠 (gěng) means a well rope or a rope in general. 绡 (xiāo) means raw silk or a thin silk fabric. Visually, 缌 has the right side 思 (think), 绠 has 更 (more/change), and 绡 has 肖 (similar/resemble). Their pinyin and meanings are completely different.

缌 is very rare in modern everyday Chinese; it appears mainly in historical texts or descriptions of ancient mourning rites. It refers specifically to a fine linen garment worn for distant relatives during traditional Confucian mourning periods. Today, Chinese people seldom use this character except in specialized cultural or historical discussions.

Common words containing 缌 include: 缌麻 (sī má) — fine hemp / fine linen; 缌服 (sī fú) — fine linen mourning dress; 缌衰 (sī shuāi) — a type of ancient mourning garment.