How to Write 酡 (tuó) — Meaning “flushed with wine / red-faced”

Imagine a person drinking wine (酉) until their face turns red like a tomato (tomato sounds like 它 tuō). The "other" (它) part reminds you that after drinking, you become "another" person—flushed and rosy. So 酡 = wine + tomato face.

The left radical 酉 has 7 strokes; be careful to write the short horizontal stroke inside the vase-shaped enclosure. The right part 它 consists of 宀 (roof) on top and 匕 (spoon) below—do not confuse 匕 with 七 (seven). Keep the overall width balanced: the left side is slightly narrower than the right side.

酡 specifically means "flushed with wine" (red face), while 酌 (zhuó) means "to pour a drink" or "to drink leisurely" and 配 (pèi) means "to match" or "to pair." Visually, 酌 and 配 both have the 酉 radical but use different right-side components (勺 vs 己/巳); 酡 uses 它. In usage, 酡 is only about the physical effect of alcohol on the face, not about mixing or drinking itself.

酡 is a literary or descriptive word, not commonly used in daily conversation. You might find it in poetry or elegant writing to describe someone's rosy cheeks after drinking, like in 酡红 (flushed red) or 酡颜 (flushed face). It carries a refined, slightly classical feel—similar to saying "rosy-cheeked from wine" in English.

Common words containing 酡 include: 酡红 (tuó hóng) — flushed red / rosy; 酡颜 (tuó yán) — flushed face (from drinking); 醉酡 (zuì tuó) — drunk and flushed.