How to Write 粜 (tiào) — Meaning “to sell grain”

Picture a farmer putting rice into a bag and saying "tiao" as he sends the rice out of his storage. The top part 出 looks like a bag with two openings, and the bottom 米 is the rice being sold.

Write the top part 出 with the left and right sections balanced, not too wide. The bottom 米 should be slightly narrower than the top, and the horizontal stroke of 米 should align with the center of 出.

Compared to 籼 (xiān, a type of long-grain rice), 粜 means to sell grain while 籼 is a noun for a rice variety. Compared to 籽 (zǐ, meaning seed), 粜 focuses on the action of selling and uses the component 出, while 籽 uses 子 (child) to indicate a small grain.

粜 is rarely used in daily conversation today, appearing mostly in historical or literary contexts, such as the story "粜米" from Lu Xun's writings. Its opposite character is 籴 (dí), meaning "to buy grain," and together they represent traditional grain trade terms.

Common words containing 粜 include: 粜米 (tiào mǐ) — to sell rice; 粜谷 (tiào gǔ) — to sell grain or paddy; 粜粮 (tiào liáng) — to sell grain.