How to Write 滞 (zhì) — Meaning “stagnant; sluggish; delayed”

Imagine a belt (带) tightly wrapped around a water pipe (氵), stopping the water from flowing—this makes the water stagnant and sluggish. This visual of water blocked by a belt helps you recall the meaning of 滞 as 'stagnant' or 'delayed'.

Write the three dots of the water radical 氵 first, then the right part 带. Pay special attention to the 带 component: it has a vertical stroke in the middle (like a belt buckle) and the bottom is a wide horizontal stroke. A common mistake is making the right part too narrow or skipping the middle vertical line.

滞 has the right side 带 (belt), while 流 has 㐬 (a flowing baby shape) and 浙 has 折 (a fold). Visually, 滞 looks boxier because of 带. In meaning, 滞 means 'stagnant' or 'blocked', whereas 流 means 'to flow' and 浙 is a river name in China.

滞 appears in formal or written contexts, especially in news and reports. For example, 滞留 means 'to be stranded' (like at an airport), 停滞 means 'to stagnate' (like an economy), and 滞销 means 'unsalable' (like slow-selling products). You won't often hear it in daily casual conversation.

Common words containing 滞 include: 滞留 (zhì liú) — to be stranded; to stay; to linger; 停滞 (tíng zhì) — to stagnate; to be at a standstill; 滞销 (zhì xiāo) — unsalable; slow-selling.