How to Write 邰 (tái) — Meaning “Tai (a surname)”

Imagine Mr. Tai (邰) standing on a platform (台) next to a city mound (阝). The sounds also help: tái sounds like "tie," so picture a person tying a rope around the platform to keep it steady on the mound.

Write the left radical 阝 first with two strokes (a horizontal fold hook then a vertical line), keeping it narrow. Then write the right part 台: start with a left-down stroke, a dot, then a vertical line, a horizontal fold hook, and finally a horizontal line. Common mistakes include making the left radical too wide or confusing the top of 台 (which looks like 厶) with 口.

All three share the left radical 阝, but the right side differs: 邰 has 台 (platform), 邗 has 干 (dry/shield), and 邘 has 于 (at). They are all ancient place names used as surnames; visually, the right part shapes are distinct — 台 has a slanted top, 干 looks like a cross, and 于 has a simple curve.

邰 is exclusively a surname, such as in 邰先生 (Mr. Tai) or 姓邰 (surname Tai). It is not a common surname today and does not appear in HSK vocabulary, but it has historical importance as an ancient noble clan name from the Zhou dynasty.

Common words containing 邰 include: 邰先生 (tái xiān shēng) — Mr. Tai; 姓邰 (xìng tái) — Surname Tai; 邰家 (tái jiā) — The Tai family.