How to Write 酝 (yùn) — Meaning “to brew / to ferment”

Imagine a wine jar (酉) sitting under a cloud (云) that is raining drops of fermenting liquid into it. Or think of the phrase "cloud of alcohol" — the brewing process creates vapors like clouds rising from the wine jar.

The left part 酉 must be written with the horizontal stroke inside the jar shape correctly aligned — do not make it too wide. The right side 云 has four strokes but note the second stroke is a long horizontal that extends slightly left under the first stroke, and the final dot must be placed clearly below the second horizontal. A common mistake is making the 云 component too tall or blending its strokes with the 酉 radical.

酝 (yùn) means "to brew" and has a 云 phonetic. 酊 (dǐng) means "drunkenness" and has a 丁 phonetic — the right side looks like a nail or a T-shape. 酋 (qiú) means "chieftain" or "fermented liquor" and is a standalone character without the 酉 radical on the left; it is often used in words like 酋长 (tribal leader). Visually, 酝 has a 酉 left plus a 云 right, 酊 has 酉 left plus 丁 right, and 酋 is a full character without a separate left part.

酝 appears most commonly in the word 酝酿 (yùnniàng), which literally means "to brew" but is often used metaphorically for "to deliberate" or "to prepare for something gradually," like "酝酿计划" (to hatch a plan). It is also used in winemaking contexts, such as 酝酒 (yùn jiǔ, to brew wine). In Chinese culture, brewing is associated with patience and transformation, so 酝酿 carries a sense of careful preparation before a result emerges.

Common words containing 酝 include: 酝酿 (yùn niàng) — to brew / to deliberate / to prepare for; 酝酒 (yùn jiǔ) — to brew wine; 酝藉 (yùn jí) — refined and restrained / cultured.