How to Write 蓰 (xǐ) — Meaning “Fivefold”

Picture a patch of grass (艹) that grows five times as fast when you move (徙) it — this links the shape to the meaning "fivefold." The sound xǐ is like "see," so imagine seeing five blades of grass stacked together. This visual and sound association helps recall both the form and the meaning.

The top grass radical 艹 is written with three strokes: horizontal, vertical, vertical — not four. The bottom part 徙 has many strokes: first write 彳 (two left-falling strokes and a vertical), then 止, then 禾. Keep the overall width balanced; a common mistake is making the character too wide because the bottom component is complex.

蓰 has the bottom part 徙 (many strokes), while 莿 has 刺 (meaning "thorn") with a clear vertical knife radical. 菐 has a different bottom component (菐) that looks like a kneeling figure. In meaning, 蓰 means "five times" (literary), 莿 means "thorny plant," and 菐 is a rare plant name — they are not interchangeable.

蓰 is extremely rare in modern Chinese and appears mainly in classical or literary phrases like 五蓰 (five times) and 蓰倍 (fivefold). It is not used in everyday conversation; instead, modern Chinese uses 五倍 for "five times." You may encounter it in ancient poetry or historical texts as a precise multiplier.

Common words containing 蓰 include: 五蓰 (wǔ xǐ) — five times (literary); 蓰倍 (xǐ bèi) — Five times; 徙蓰 (xǐ xǐ) — To move; to shift (literary)..