How to Write 栉 (zhì) — Meaning “comb; to comb”

Imagine a wooden comb (木) with a straight back and nine teeth, representing the stroke count. The right side looks like a simplified shelf (节), so picture the comb resting on a shelf. This visual helps link the shape to the meaning "comb".

Write the left radical 木 first: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling. Then write the right component: start with a horizontal, then a vertical stroke through the middle, and a final horizontal at the bottom. A common mistake is adding a dot like in 市 (market) — 栉 has no dot.

栉 (zhì) means "comb" and has the right component resembling 节. 杆 (gǎn) means "pole" and has 干 (dry) on the right. 杈 (chà) means "fork" and has 叉 (fork) on the right. Their pronunciations and meanings are completely different, so focus on the right-side component.

栉 is rarely used alone in modern Chinese and mainly appears in fixed literary phrases like 鳞次栉比 (row upon row) to describe buildings or objects in close order, and 栉风沐雨 (to work hard outdoors). These expressions carry a classical, elegant tone and are not common in everyday speech.

Common words containing 栉 include: 鳞次栉比 (lín cì zhì bǐ) — row upon row; 栉风沐雨 (zhì fēng mù yǔ) — to work hard in the open air; to endure hardships; 梳栉 (shū zhì) — comb.