How to Write 拄 (zhǔ) — Meaning “to lean on (a staff or cane)”

Picture an elderly person using a walking stick; the left side 扌 is their hand gripping the stick, and the right side 主 looks like the stick itself with a T-shaped handle. You can also think 'from the hand (扌) comes the master (主) support' – the stick is the master that helps you stand.

Write the hand radical 扌 first (three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then add 主 (five strokes: dot, horizontal, horizontal, vertical, horizontal). A common mistake is to make the top dot of 主 too big or to forget the second horizontal stroke inside 主. Keep the left and right sides balanced – the 扌 should be slightly narrower than the 主.

While both use the hand radical, 拄 (zhǔ) specifically means 'to lean on a cane or stick,' whereas 托 (tuō) means 'to hold or support in the palm of one's hand.' Visually, 托 has the right part 乇 (tuō), which looks like a plant sprout, while 拄 has 主 (zhǔ) which looks like a lamp or a master. The other similar character 㧜 is extremely rare and not used in modern Chinese.

拄 is primarily used to describe the action of leaning on a walking stick, cane, or umbrella for support, especially by elderly or injured people. You might see it in phrases like 拄拐棍 (zhǔ guǎi gùn, to lean on a walking stick) or 拄着伞 (zhǔ zhe sǎn, leaning on an umbrella). It is not common in everyday conversation but appears in descriptive writing about mobility aids or physical support.

Common words containing 拄 include: 拄拐棍 (zhǔ guǎi gùn) — to lean on a walking stick; 拄着 (zhǔ zhe) — leaning on; 拄着伞 (zhǔ zhe sǎn) — leaning on an umbrella.