How to Write 刖 (yuè) — Meaning “amputation of the feet (ancient punishment)”

Imagine the left part 月 (moon) as a foot, and the right radical 刂 as a knife slicing it off. Say aloud "Yue loses his feet to a knife" to connect the sound yuè with the cruel meaning.

Write the left part 月 first with 4 strokes (left-down stroke, horizontal-right hook, then two horizontals), then the right radical 刂 with 2 strokes (vertical hook and vertical). A common mistake is making the left part too wide or the knife strokes too short; keep the overall width balanced.

The left component differs: 刖 has 月 (moon), 刈 has 乂 (yì, meaning to mow), and 刊 has 干 (gān, meaning dry or to do). Their meanings also differ: 刖 is a foot amputation punishment, 刈 means to cut grass, and 刊 means to print or publish.

刖 is rarely used in modern Chinese except in historical or legal discussions of ancient punishments, like the Five Punishments of pre-Qin China. It appears in set terms like 刖刑 (yuè xíng) and is not part of everyday vocabulary, so learners encounter it mainly in classical texts.

Common words containing 刖 include: 刖刑 (yuè xíng) — punishment of cutting off the feet; 刖足 (yuè zú) — to cut off the feet; 受刖 (shòu yuè) — to suffer the ancient punishment of foot amputation.