How to Write 璋 (zhāng) — Meaning “Jade tablet (ancient ritual object)”

Picture a jade tablet (王) with a chapter (章) of ancient ritual text carved into its surface. Think of 'Zhang's jade tablet' — the sound zhāng matches the right side, making it easier to recall the character.

First write the left radical 王 with three horizontal strokes and a vertical line. Then write the right side 章: start with the top dot and horizontal, followed by 日 (like a sun shape), then the long vertical that goes through. A common mistake is making the right side too wide — keep it narrow and balanced.

璋 has 章 on the right, while 瑁 has 冒 (mào) and 瑄 has 宣 (xuān). In meaning, 璋 is a pointed jade ritual tablet, 瑁 is a flat rectangular jade tablet used by emperors, and 瑄 is a type of ornamental jade. Also, 璋 appears in the literary phrase 弄璋 (having a baby boy), which the others do not.

璋 is rarely used in daily speech; it appears mainly in classical literature, archaeology, and literary phrases like 弄璋 (nòng zhāng), which means 'to have a baby boy' — a reference to ancient customs of giving a jade tablet to newborn boys. It also appears in historical texts discussing ancient jade ritual objects.

Common words containing 璋 include: 玉璋 (yù zhāng) — Jade zhang (ritual tablet); 弄璋 (nòng zhāng) — to have a baby boy (literary); 璋华 (zhāng huá) — The brilliance of jade.