How to Write 翥 (zhù) — Meaning “soar; fly upward”

Imagine a person (者) sprouting wings (羽) and leaping into the sky to soar. This visual of a human figure with feathery wings helps connect the components to the meaning "soar upward."

Pay attention that the top part 羽 is written compactly, not too wide, and the bottom part 者 should be centered under it. A common mistake is writing the left and right halves of 羽 too far apart, making the character look unbalanced.

翔 (xiáng) also means "soar" but is used in words like 飞翔 (to fly), while 翥 is more literary and appears in idioms. 翕 (xī) means "to close" or "harmonious," and has the bottom component 合 (hé) instead of 者. Visually, 翥 has 者 below, 翔 has 羊, and 翕 has 合.

翥 is rarely used alone today; it appears in the idiom 龙翔凤翥 (lóng xiáng fèng zhù), describing elegant, vigorous movements like a dragon soaring and a phoenix dancing. This idiom is often used in calligraphy or literature to praise graceful, dynamic energy.

Common words containing 翥 include: 龙翔凤翥 (lóng xiáng fèng zhù) — Elegant and vigorous movements (literally 'dragon soaring and phoenix dancing').; 翥凤 (zhù fèng) — soaring phoenix; 飞翥 (fēi zhù) — to soar high.