How to Write 窀 (zhūn) — Meaning “Burial or grave (archaic).”

Imagine a cave (穴) with a person lying down inside it, and the bottom part 屯 looks like a folded blanket or a burial shroud covering the body. This picture of a 'cave with a covered person' helps you recall that 窀 means a grave.

First write the radical 穴 (cave) with three strokes: dot, dot, then the lower part. Then write 屯 (tún) below it, which has four strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, horizontal, vertical bend. A common mistake is making the top of 屯 too wide, which throws off the balance; keep the cave narrow and the lower part centered.

窀 has the bottom part 屯 (tún), while 究 has 九 (jiǔ) and 穷 has 力 (lì). Visually, 屯 looks like a small stack or bundle, 九 is a curvy hook, and 力 is a simple strength radical. In meaning, 究 means 'to investigate' (going into a cave to search), 穷 means 'poor' or 'to exhaust' (cave with limited strength), while 窀 specifically refers to burial.

窀 is an archaic character and is not used in everyday modern Chinese. It appears mainly in classical texts or historical writings about funerals, such as in the phrase 窀穸 (zhūn xī) meaning 'grave' or 'tomb.' Knowing it helps when reading ancient literature but you will rarely encounter it in daily conversation.

Common words containing 窀 include: 窀穸 (zhūn xī) — A grave or tomb.; 窀夕 (zhūn xī) — The night of burial or funeral.; 窀穸之事 (zhūn xī zhī shì) — Matters concerning burial or funerals..