How to Write 垔 (yīn) — Meaning “to block; to dam”

Imagine you are building a dam out of earth (土) to block the western (西) river. Picture the "west" part as a wall and the "earth" part as the material that fills it. This visual of a western earth barrier will help you recall the meaning "to block."

The top part 西 must be written with a horizontal stroke crossing the top, not as a complete rectangle, and it is slightly narrower than the bottom 土. A common mistake is making the 土 too tall or misaligning it under 西; keep the 土 squat and centered. Remember the total is 9 strokes: first the 4 strokes of 西, then the 5 strokes of 土.

垔 (yīn) means "to block" and contains 土 inside its enclosure, while 圻 (qí) means "boundary" or "a bend in the river" and has 斤 (axe) on the right. 圼 (niè, an obsolete character) means "black mud" and has 日 (sun) inside its enclosure. Visually, 垔 has a 西 inside, 圻 has a 斤, and 圼 has a 日, so focus on the inner component to tell them apart.

Today 垔 is rare and mostly appears in classical literature or technical vocabulary such as 垔塞 (to obstruct) and 垔灭 (to be buried and forgotten). It is not part of the HSK vocabulary, so you may encounter it only in historical or geographical texts about damming or blocking waterways. Its poetic use in 垔灭 describes something that has been covered over and lost to memory.

Common words containing 垔 include: 垔塞 (yīn sāi) — to obstruct; to block; 垔堵 (yīn dǔ) — to block up; 垔灭 (yīn miè) — to be buried and forgotten.