How to Write 驵 (zǎng) — Meaning “Powerful horse; horse dealer”

Picture a strong horse (马) standing next to a rock (think of 'crag' for 且) — the horse is so powerful it can push over a crag. The left side is the horse radical (3 strokes), and the right side 且 has 5 strokes, making 8 total. Just remember 'horse plus crag equals powerful horse' to recall the shape.

The left radical 马 must be narrow and short, written with its third stroke (a horizontal line) angled slightly upward to fit next to 且. The right part 且 should be wider and taller than the left; do not make the two halves the same size, or the character will look unbalanced. Common mistake: forgetting the top horizontal stroke of 且 is slightly shorter than the bottom one.

驵 (zǎng) focuses on a powerful horse or horse dealer, while 驮 (tuó) means "to carry on a horse's back" — the right side 大 (big) suggests a big load. 驯 (xùn) means "tame" or "gentle" — the right side 川 (river) implies flowing obedience. Visually, 驵 has a 且 on the right (with a horizontal top), 驮 has 大 (person with arms), and 驯 has 川 (three vertical strokes).

驵 is very rare in daily life and appears mostly in historical texts or classical poetry to describe a magnificent horse. The only common word is 驵侩 (zǎng kuài), meaning a horse broker or middleman, used in formal or literary contexts. You will rarely need to write this character unless studying ancient Chinese literature or specialized vocabulary about horses.

Common words containing 驵 include: 驵侩 (zǎng kuài) — Broker; middleman; 驵骏 (zǎng jùn) — Excellent horse; 驵大 (zǎng dà) — Large and powerful horse.