How to Write 屑 (xiè) — Meaning “Scraps; crumbs; bits.”

Imagine a corpse (尸) covered in small crumbs or bits. The bottom part 肖 looks like a little knife cutting the body into tiny scraps, reminding you of the word's meaning: small pieces.

Write the top radical 尸 first: horizontal fold, horizontal, then left-falling stroke. For the bottom 肖, start with a vertical stroke, then a dot on each side, then a left-falling stroke, a vertical hook, and finally a horizontal line. A common mistake is writing the bottom part as 月 instead of 肖 – keep the vertical stroke and dots clear.

屑 has the bottom component 肖, while 屄 has 穴 (a cave-like shape) and 居 has 古 (old). 屑 means scraps, 屄 is a vulgar term, and 居 means to live. Visually, focus on the lower part: 肖 (with a central vertical and dots) is unique to 屑.

屑 appears in words like 纸屑 (paper scraps), 不屑 (disdain – literally "not worth scraps"), and 头皮屑 (dandruff). It is common in written descriptions of small waste materials, and 不屑 is frequently used in everyday speech to express that something is not worth one's attention.

Common words containing 屑 include: 纸屑 (zhǐ xiè) — paper scraps; waste paper; 不屑 (bù xiè) — disdain; to think something is not worth doing; 头皮屑 (tóu pí xiè) — dandruff.