How to Write 醯 (xī) — Meaning “Vinegar (literary)”

Imagine a wine jar (酉) with a lid shaped like a flying insect (䖒, which resembles two wings). The insect flies into the jar and turns the wine sour, creating vinegar. This visual helps link the shape to the idea of vinegar.

The left radical 酉 has 7 strokes, and the right component 䖒 has 12 strokes, totaling 19. Be careful not to confuse the right side with 虎 (tiger) — the top part is a horizontal line with two "mouths" (口) stacked, not a 虍. Ensure the bottom of 䖒 has two vertical strokes like legs, not a single line.

醯 (xī, vinegar) has a right side 䖒, while 醢 (hǎi, minced meat sauce) has 右 (yòu) under the radical, and 醪 (láo, rice wine with sediment) has 㐫 (xiōng). Visually, 醯's right side has two "mouths" stacked, 醢's right side is a horizontal line over a 口, and 醪's right side has a 爫 over 口. They all relate to fermented foods but refer to different substances.

醯 is a literary or classical term for vinegar, rarely used in daily conversation; the common word is 醋 (cù). It appears in fixed expressions like 醯醋 (vinegar) or 醯鸡 (fruit fly, literally "vinegar fly"). Historically, it was used in ancient texts for vinegar and pickling.

Common words containing 醯 include: 醯醋 (xī cù) — Vinegar; 醯酱 (xī jiàng) — Vinegar and sauce; 醯鸡 (xī jī) — Fruit fly or vinegar fly.