How to Write 绥 (suí) — Meaning “To pacify; to soothe; carriage strap”

Imagine using a soft silk thread (纟) to gently tie down a restless person until they become proper (妥) and calm. This visual helps connect the left and right parts to the meaning of 'to pacify' or 'to soothe'.

Write the left radical 纟 first in three strokes (thin and narrow), then the right part 妥 in seven strokes. Pay attention to the order within 妥: start with the hand component 爫 (three strokes) and then the woman component 女 (three strokes). A common mistake is making the right side too wide or forgetting the stroke order of 爫 (top stroke, then two short strokes).

绥 (suí) means to pacify or soothe, while 线 (xiàn) means thread or line, and 绀 (gàn) means dark purple. Visually, 绥 has 妥 on the right (爫+女), 线 has 戋 (small/gradual), and 绀 has 甘 (sweet). In usage, 绥 appears in historical or formal terms like 绥靖, whereas 线 is everyday for string and 绀 is a color word.

绥 is not a common daily character; it appears mainly in formal or historical terms like 绥靖政策 (policy of appeasement) and the place name 绥远 (a former province in China). It can also be found in literary or classical texts meaning to soothe, but is rarely used in casual conversation.

Common words containing 绥 include: 绥靖 (suí jìng) — Appeasement; to pacify; 绥远 (suí yuǎn) — Suiyuan (a former province in China); 抚绥 (fǔ suí) — to pacify; to soothe.