How to Write 涕 (tì) — Meaning “tears; nasal mucus”

Imagine your younger brother (弟) has a runny nose, and tears (氵) are streaming down his face. The water radical combined with ‘brother’ helps you recall that 涕 means both tears and snot. This visual story ties the components to the meaning.

Pay attention to the left side: the 氵 radical has three strokes — dot, dot, and a short downward stroke. On the right, 弟 has seven strokes: the top part 丷, then 弓, and finally a vertical stroke with two dots. Make sure the right side is not too wide, and keep the strokes balanced.

涕 (tì) means tears or snot, while 沫 (mò) means foam or froth, and 沭 (shù) is a place name (Shu River). Visually, 涕 has 弟 on the right, 沫 has 末 (end/tip), and 沭 has 术 (art/skill). Focus on the right-side component to tell them apart.

涕 appears in words like 鼻涕 (bí tì, nasal mucus) and 流涕 (liú tì, to have a runny nose). It is also used in literary contexts for tears, such as 涕泪 (tì lèi, tears), but in daily speech, 眼泪 (yǎn lèi) is more common for tears. You will see 涕 often in medical or emotional descriptions.

Common words containing 涕 include: 鼻涕 (bí tì) — Nasal mucus; snot; 流涕 (liú tì) — have a runny nose; 涕泪 (tì lèi) — tears.