How to Write 笮 (zé) — Meaning “Bamboo rope”

Imagine a bamboo rope bridge (笮桥) where the bamboo strips are ‘乍’ — they look like they are suddenly (乍) woven together. The top 竹 reminds you it is made of bamboo, and the bottom 乍 sounds like ‘za’ in ‘bamboo rope’.

Write the top radical 竹 first: left side (撇横点) then right side (撇横点), but note the left and right halves are not joined. Then write the bottom 乍: first the top horizontal, then the two vertical strokes, then the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the bottom 乍 too tall or forgetting the second vertical stroke inside it.

笮 means bamboo rope, while 竿 (gān) is a bamboo pole or stick, and 竽 (yú) is an ancient musical instrument made of bamboo. Visually, 笮 has 乍 below, 竿 has 干 (gàn), and 竽 has 于 (yú). Their meanings are completely different despite sharing the bamboo radical.

笮 is rarely used in modern daily life; it appears mainly in historical or archaeological contexts. The word 笮桥 refers to ancient bamboo rope bridges found in mountainous regions of China, especially in Southwest China where the Ze people (笮人) lived. 笮马 is a historical breed of horse from that region.

Common words containing 笮 include: 笮桥 (zé qiáo) — Bamboo rope bridge; 笮人 (zé rén) — Ze people (an ancient ethnic group); 笮马 (zé mǎ) — Ze horse.