How to Write 绁 (xiè) — Meaning “to tie, to bind, leash”

Imagine a silk thread (纟) wrapping around the entire world (世) to bind it all together. This visual helps you remember that 绁 means to tie or bind.

Pay attention to the left radical 纟: it should be narrow and written with three strokes. The right part 世 has three horizontal strokes that must be parallel and evenly spaced, with a vertical stroke cutting through their centers. A common mistake is making the left radical too wide.

绁 (xiè) means to tie or bind, while 纡 (yū) means to bend or twist, and 红 (hóng) means the color red. Visually, 绁 has 世 on the right, 纡 has 于, and 红 has 工. Their pronunciations and functions are completely different.

绁 is very rare in modern Chinese and mostly appears in classical or literary expressions such as 羁绁 (jī xiè, meaning fetters or restraints). You might also see it in formal or poetic texts, but it is not used in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 绁 include: 绁系 (xiè xì) — to tie up, to bind; 羁绁 (jī xiè) — Fetters; restraints; to bind; 绁绊 (xiè bàn) — fetters, shackles.