How to Write 罾 (zēng) — Meaning “A large square fishing net”

Imagine the top part 罒 looks like a square net with mesh holes, and the bottom part 曾 sounds like "zeng" which can remind you of "zeng" as in "zeng - the net catches fish in layers." Picture a fisherman lifting a big square net layer by layer to remember 罾.

Start with the radical 罒: write the vertical left, then top horizontal, then the inner strokes (two verticals and a bottom horizontal) before closing the bottom. For 曾 below, write the dot on top, then the two dots, then the horizontal, the vertical, the two horizontal strokes of "日" and finally the bottom horizontal. A common mistake is to make the net radical too narrow or to confuse the shape of 曾 with 曽 (without the top dot).

罾 specifically means a large square fishing net (a lift net). 罹 means to suffer or fall into misfortune, composed of 罒 and 維 (bird). 羁 means to bridle or control a horse, with a horse radical 马 below a net. Visually, 罾 has 曾 below, 罹 has 維, and 羁 has 马 — the bottom parts are completely different in meaning and shape.

罾 is rarely used in daily speech, mostly found in classical literature or regional dialects to describe a traditional lift net operated by a lever. The word 扳罾 (bān zēng) refers to the action of pulling up such a net, and can appear in descriptions of rural fishing methods. It's not in the HSK vocabulary, making it a specialized character for learners interested in traditional fishing culture.

Common words containing 罾 include: 扳罾 (bān zēng) — to lift a square fishing net; 鱼罾 (yú zēng) — Fishing net (lifting net); 罾网 (zēng wǎng) — Lift net; fishing net.