How to Write 阋 (xì) — Meaning “to feud; to quarrel”

Imagine a door (门) with two children (兒) behind it, shouting and arguing loudly. This vivid picture of kids fighting inside the house helps you recall that 阋 means "to quarrel" or "to feud."

Write the outside 门 first, then draw the inner 兒 carefully. The 兒 part must be narrow so it fits completely inside the door; a common mistake is making it too wide, which makes the character unbalanced.

阋 (xì, feud) has the child 兒 inside the door; 闺 (guī, boudoir) has 圭 (jade) inside; and 闻 (wén, hear) has 耳 (ear) inside. Remember a child (兒) fighting in the door for 阋, a jade (圭) in a lady's room for 闺, and an ear (耳) listening at the door for 闻.

阋 is a classical, literary character not common in daily speech. It appears in the idiom 阋墙 (xìqiáng), which means "internal family strife," derived from an ancient poem about brothers quarreling within the home.

Common words containing 阋 include: 阋墙 (xì qiáng) — internal strife; feuding within a family; 阋讼 (xì sòng) — to litigate; internal dispute; 阋斗 (xì dòu) — to fight; to quarrel.