How to Write 掭 (tiàn) — Meaning “to dip (a brush in ink); to touch up”

Imagine your hand (扌) dipping a brush into ink and then gently touching the sky (the top part of 忝 looks like 天, meaning sky) to paint a small cloud (the bottom part resembles 小). This connects the hand action to the idea of touching up a picture.

Pay attention to the right side 忝: write the top part like 天 (two horizontals, then a left-falling stroke and a right-falling stroke), then finish with a vertical hook and two dots at the bottom. A common mistake is making the bottom too wide or forgetting the hook.

掭 has the right side 忝 (top 天 plus bottom 小-like), while 拜 has a more complex right side with many strokes and means 'to worship', and 括 has 舌 (tongue) on the right meaning 'to include'. Visually, 掭's right side is unique with the 'sky' and 'small' combination.

掭 is almost only used in calligraphy contexts, such as 掭笔 (tiàn bǐ, to dip or smooth a brush in ink) or 掭墨 (tiàn mò, to dip a brush in ink). It is a specialized action that describes the careful preparation of a brush before writing or painting.

Common words containing 掭 include: 掭笔 (tiàn bǐ) — to dip or smooth a brush in ink; 掭墨 (tiàn mò) — to dip a brush in ink; 掭一下 (tiàn yī xià) — to dip slightly; to touch up once.