How to Write 邾 (zhū) — Meaning “Zhu (ancient state name)”

Imagine a red sun (朱) rising over a hill (阝) to create the ancient State of Zhu. Picture a bright red sun perched on a small hill to associate the two parts. This visual trick helps link the character to its historical meaning.

Write the left radical 阝 first, with a short horizontal stroke then a vertical curve. Then write 朱: start with a left-falling stroke, a horizontal line, two vertical strokes, and finally the dot at the bottom right. A common mistake is reversing the two vertical strokes or forgetting the dot, so check the right side carefully.

邾 (zhū) has 朱 on the right, 邠 (bīn) has 分 (divide), and 邡 (fāng) has 方 (square). The meanings differ: 邾 is the State of Zhu, 邠 is another ancient state in Shaanxi, and 邡 is a place name in Sichuan. Visually, focus on the right-side component to tell them apart.

邾 is very rare today; it appears mostly in historical texts about the Zhou dynasty State of Zhu or in ancient place names like 邾城. It can also be a Chinese surname, though not common. You are unlikely to see it in everyday writing without a background in ancient history.

Common words containing 邾 include: 邾国 (zhū guó) — State of Zhu; 邾城 (zhū chéng) — Zhucheng (ancient city); 姓邾 (xìng zhū) — Surname Zhu.