How to Write 酗 (xù) — Meaning “to drink excessively / to be drunk and rowdy”

Imagine a wine jar (酉) that becomes so full it turns fierce (凶) and starts spilling out, like a person who drinks excessively and becomes violent and out of control. This visual connects the shape to the meaning of drunken rowdiness.

The left radical 酉 is wider and taller than the right component 凶. Keep the inner strokes of 酉 short and evenly spaced, and write the 凶 part with a clear box shape and a diagonal line inside. Avoid making the two sides unbalanced.

酗 (xù) means excessive drinking and rowdiness, while 酊 (dǐng) means simply being drunk. 酋 (qiú) means a tribal chief and has no connection to alcohol abuse. Visually, 酗 has 凶 (fierce) on the right, 酊 has 丁 (a nail), and 酋 has a different top component.

酗 appears in formal or serious contexts like health warnings or news reports, especially in the word 酗酒 (alcohol abuse). It has a strong negative connotation and is not used in casual speech. You might see it in discussions about social problems or medical advice on drinking.

Common words containing 酗 include: 酗酒 (xù jiǔ) — alcohol abuse / excessive drinking; 酗酒者 (xù jiǔ zhě) — alcoholic / heavy drinker; 狂酗 (kuáng xù) — To drink excessively or wild drinking..