How to Write 笥 (sì) — Meaning “bamboo chest”

Picture a bamboo table (竹) with a manager (司, as in "manage") using it to organize books. The image of a bamboo chest for storing important items under a manager‘s control can help recall both the sound sì and the meaning.

Write the top radical 竹 first as two similar halves, each with a left-falling stroke and a right-falling stroke. Below, the 司 component must be centered and slightly narrower than the bamboo top, with the horizontal stroke of the mouth (口) placed inside the enclosure, not extending beyond.

While 窦 (yú) means an ancient wind instrument and 竿 (gān) means a bamboo pole or rod, 笥 specifically refers to a bamboo container or chest. Visually, 笥 has 司 underneath, whereas 竽 has 于 and 竿 has 干, each giving different pronunciations and meanings.

笥 is rarely used in daily conversation but appears in classical or literary contexts for items like 书笥 (bookcase) or 竹笥 (bamboo hamper). In ancient China, bamboo chests were common for storing scrolls and clothing, reflecting the practical and scholarly culture of the time.

Common words containing 笥 include: 书笥 (shū sì) — Book case; 竹笥 (zhú sì) — Bamboo hamper; bamboo chest; 箧笥 (qiè sì) — bamboo cases.