How to Write 茵 (yīn) — Meaning “cushion / greenery”

Imagine a green grass carpet (艹) spread over the ground because (因) you want a soft place to sit. The image of grass covering a reason — "因" — helps link the parts to the idea of a cushion-like layer of greenery.

Write the top radical 艹 first: a horizontal stroke, then a short left vertical, and a slightly longer right vertical. Then write 因: start with the left vertical, top horizontal, right vertical, then the inner 大 (horizontal, left-falling, right-falling), and finally the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the grass radical too wide or the inner 大 too large, so keep the top compact and the 因 balanced inside the outer box.

茵 has the component 因 (cause) inside the grass radical, while 兹 (zī) has 玄 (mysterious) below 艹, and 芈 (mǐ) has a seal-like bottom 卩. In meaning, 茵 is used for grass carpets and in place names like 莱茵河; 兹 is a literary word for 'this' or 'now', and 芈 is a rare surname. Visually, remember that 茵's lower part is a square with a big cross, unlike the others.

茵 appears most often in the poetic phrase 绿草如茵 (lǜ cǎo rú yīn), meaning 'green grass like a carpet', used to describe lush lawns or meadows. It is also a fixed part of the river name 莱茵河 (Lái Yīn Hé, the Rhine River) and the medicinal herb 茵陈 (yīn chén, oriental wormwood). In culture, 绿草如茵 evokes a peaceful, natural scene and is commonly seen in travel descriptions or garden writing.

Common words containing 茵 include: 绿草如茵 (lǜ cǎo rú yīn) — the green grass is like a carpet; 莱茵河 (lái yīn hé) — the Rhine River; 茵陈 (yīn chén) — oriental wormwood.