How to Write 笫 (zǐ) — Meaning “bamboo bed mat”

Imagine a bamboo bed mat (笫) that is "my little brother's" — think of 弟 (younger brother) sleeping on a bamboo mat. The top part 竹 looks like bamboo stripes, and 弟 reminds you of a brother resting on the mat.

Write the top radical 竹 first as two parts: left (撇横点撇横点) then right (撇横点撇横点) — 6 strokes total. Then write the lower 弟: start with 点撇横折横竖折横竖撇 — 4 more strokes, making 10 strokes total. Common mistake: forgetting that the lower part of 弟 includes a 竖折 (vertical to horizontal turn) before the final 竖撇.

笫 (zǐ) means a bamboo bed mat, while 竺 (zhú) is a surname or an old word for bamboo itself. 竽 (yú) is an ancient bamboo wind instrument. Visually, 竺 has 二 (two) under 竹, 竽 has 于 (yú) under 竹, and 笫 has 弟 under 竹 — so the lower part is the key difference.

笫 is rarely used alone today; it appears mainly in the word 床笫 (chuáng zǐ), meaning "marital bed" or "private life of a couple." For example, 床笫之事 refers to intimate marital matters. This expression is formal and literary, not common in daily conversation.

Common words containing 笫 include: 床笫 (chuáng zǐ) — marital bed; private life; 竹笫 (zhú zǐ) — Bamboo mat (for a bed); 笫子 (zǐ zi) — bed mat.