How to Write 筼 (yún) — Meaning “a type of large bamboo”

Imagine a bamboo forest (竹) where each bamboo stalk is as big as a person (员). The visual of a 'bamboo member' helps link the top and bottom parts to the meaning 'large bamboo.'

The top radical 竹 must be written with the two small 'k' shapes on the left and right, not joined at the bottom. The lower part 员 starts with a vertical stroke going through the mouth, and the overall character should be balanced with the top slightly wider.

笙 (shēng) is a reed mouth organ made of bamboo, while 笛 (dí) is a bamboo flute. 筼 is not a musical instrument but a specific type of large bamboo. Visually, 笙 has a 生 (life) bottom, 笛 has 由 (reason) bottom, and 筼 has 员 bottom.

筼 is rare in daily use but appears in place names like 筼筜湖 (Yundang Lake) in Xiamen, China, and in classical literary references to bamboo groves. It is not in HSK, so learners may encounter it mainly in geography or poetry.

Common words containing 筼 include: 筼筜湖 (yún dāng hú) — Yundang Lake; 筼筜 (yún dāng) — a type of large bamboo; 筼筜谷 (yún dāng gǔ) — Yundang Valley.