How to Write 骘 (zhì) — Meaning “Stallion or to judge”

Imagine a horse (马) climbing a hill (陟 contains 阝 meaning hill and 步 meaning step) to make a judgment from above. This visual connects the horse radical with the idea of evaluating or judging, which helps recall both the shape and the dual meaning.

Pay attention to the right part 陟: it has seven strokes and the top is 阝 (two strokes like a hill) followed by 步 (four strokes), not 止. The left side 马 must be narrow, and the whole character should be balanced horizontally. A common mistake is to write the right side too wide or to confuse 步 with 止.

骘 (zhì) means a stallion or to judge, while 骊 (lí) means a black horse and is used in names like 骊山. 骋 (chěng) means to gallop or to run freely. Visually, 骘 has 陟 on the right, 骊 has 丽 (beautiful), and 骋 has 甹 (a sound component). Their meanings all involve horses but in different ways.

骘 is very rare in everyday speech and mostly appears in literary or classical contexts. Common words include 评骘 (to comment on or evaluate, used in criticism) and 阴骘 (secret good deeds, a Confucian concept of hidden virtue). You may see it in formal writing or traditional texts, but not in casual conversation.

Common words containing 骘 include: 评骘 (píng zhì) — To evaluate / To comment on (literary); 阴骘 (yīn zhì) — secret charity; hidden merit; 骘评 (zhì píng) — To evaluate or judge.