How to Write 荀 (xún) — Meaning “Xun (a Chinese surname)”

Picture a ten-day period (旬) of grass growing (艹) in a field. The grass radical above the "ten days" component helps you recall that 荀 is pronounced xún, just like 旬.

Write the grass radical 艹 with three strokes: horizontal, vertical, vertical; then underneath write 旬 starting with a left-leaning stroke and wrapping around. The bottom part 旬 should be slightly narrower than the grass radical above.

荀 has the grass radical above 旬, while 兹 (zī/cí) has two 玄 stacked and means "now" or is a surname. 芈 (mǐ) has the grass radical above 卩 and is a historical surname; visually, 荀's lower part is 旬 with a wrap component.

荀 is almost exclusively used as a surname, such as the ancient philosopher Xunzi (荀子). It may also appear in historical names like Xun Yu (荀彧) from the Three Kingdoms period, but is not part of common vocabulary for modern learners.

Common words containing 荀 include: 荀子 (xún zi) — Xunzi (an ancient Chinese philosopher); 姓荀 (xìng xún) — Surname Xun; 荀彧 (xún yù) — Xun Yu (a famous statesman of the Three Kingdoms period).