How to Write 雩 (yú) — Meaning “rain prayer ritual”

Imagine a person bending over (亏 looks like a bent figure) under the rain (雨), dancing and praying for water. This picture of a rain dance helps link the shape to the meaning of a rain prayer ritual.

Make the top 雨 wide, with the horizontal stroke long and the four dots balanced. The bottom 亏 is narrower, and its last stroke is a vertical hook (not a straight line) — a common mistake is to make the hook too short or missing.

雪 (snow) uses 雨 plus 彐 (a hand-like shape) to mean snow, while 雯 (patterned clouds) uses 雨 plus 文 (pattern). In contrast, 雩 uses 雨 plus 亏 (a phonetic component) and specifically refers to a rain-making ritual, not snow or clouds.

雩 is rarely used in daily life today, but it appears in historical or literary discussions about ancient rain prayers. Culturally, it represents important rituals in early China, such as 雩祭 and 雩舞, performed by emperors during droughts to ask heaven for rain.

Common words containing 雩 include: 雩祭 (yú jì) — sacrifice for rain; 雩舞 (yú wǔ) — rain dance; 雩祷 (yú dǎo) — praying for rain.