How to Write 责 (zé) — Meaning “responsibility; duty; to blame”

Imagine a person standing on top of a pile of money (贝) while holding a long pole (the top stroke) to keep balance. This person has the responsibility (责) to guard the money without dropping it. The vertical line through the center reminds you of the pole they must hold steady.

The top part is the radical 贝, which has three horizontal strokes — do not make them too long or too short. The middle vertical stroke of 贝 should connect cleanly to the lower part, which looks like a 束 without the top. A common mistake is making the lower part too wide or writing it as 责 with a hook on the last stroke; the last stroke is a straight vertical hook, not a curved one.

责 (zé) means responsibility or to blame, while 贞 (zhēn) means chaste or loyal, and 负 (fù) means to carry or negative. Visually, 责 has the 贝 radical on top with a long vertical stroke through the center, while 贞 has 卜 (divination) on top of 贝, and 负 has 刀 (knife) on top of 贝. Pay attention to the top component: 责 has a horizontal line with a vertical through it, 贞 has a dot and a short vertical, and 负 has a curved shape like a knife.

责 is used in formal and everyday contexts for duty or blame. For example, 负责 (fù zé) means 'to be responsible for' something, like a task or a person, and 责任 (zé rèn) is the noun 'responsibility'. 指责 (zhǐ zé) means 'to criticize or blame' someone. Culturally, taking responsibility (负责) is highly valued in Chinese society, and avoiding blame (推卸责任) is seen as negative.

Common words containing 责 include: 负责 (fù zé) — to be responsible; to be in charge; 责任 (zé rèn) — responsibility; duty; 指责 (zhǐ zé) — to criticize; to blame.