How to Write 兕 (sì) — Meaning “rhinoceros (ancient term)”

Imagine a rhinoceros standing on two legs (儿) with a large horn on its head — the top part looks like a mouth (口) with a vertical line representing the horn. Alternatively, think of the character as 'a mouth (口) on legs (儿) with a horn sticking up'.

兕 has 7 strokes: start with the vertical and horizontal strokes of the top enclosure, then add the inner vertical, then finish with the bottom radical 儿 (first a left-falling stroke, then a vertical hook). A common mistake is to write the bottom part as 兄 (missing the hook) or to forget the inner vertical stroke in the top section.

兕 has an extra vertical stroke inside its top 口 shape, while 兄 is simply 口 on top of 儿 with no inner stroke. 充 also has a different top part (亠) and means 'to fill' or 'abundant', whereas 兕 specifically means 'rhinoceros' in ancient texts.

兕 is an archaic character rarely used in modern speech; it appears mainly in classical literature like the Analects or historical war records. You might encounter it in terms like 兕甲 (rhinoceros hide armor) or 兕觥 (a ceremonial cup made from a rhinoceros horn), which reflect ancient Chinese culture.

Common words containing 兕 include: 兕 (sì) — rhinoceros (ancient term); 兕甲 (sì jiǎ) — rhinoceros hide armor; 兕觥 (sì gōng) — rhinoceros horn cup.