How to Write 孜 (zī) — Meaning “diligent; industrious”

Picture a child (子) studying at a desk while a teacher taps a stick (攵) to keep them focused. The image of a student working hard with encouragement helps you recall that 孜 means diligent.

Write the left part 子 first with three strokes (横撇, 竖钩, 横), then the right part 攵 with four strokes (撇, 横, 撇, 捺). A common mistake is making the 子 too wide or writing 攵 with only two strokes instead of four.

孕 has 乃 on top and 子 below, meaning pregnant. 字 has 宀 (roof) on top and 子 below, meaning character. 孜 has 子 on the left and 攵 on the right, so it is wider and has a different structure.

孜 appears mainly in words like 孜然 (cumin spice) and the idiom 孜孜不倦 (diligent and tireless). The idiom is often used to praise someone's persistent effort in studying or working, reflecting a traditional value of hard work.

Common words containing 孜 include: 孜然 (zī rán) — cumin; 孜孜不倦 (zī zī bù juàn) — diligent and tireless; working with perseverance; 孜孜以求 (zī zī yǐ qiú) — to pursue something diligently.