How to Write 奏 (zòu) — Meaning “to play music / to present a memorial to the throne”

Imagine a big (大) musician playing a grand piano on a stage, and the melody rises up to heaven (天). This image combines the components to remind you that 奏 means to play music or present something important.

The top part 大 must have the horizontal stroke slightly longer than the bottom part's first horizontal. The bottom part 天 has its second horizontal stroke shorter, and the final stroke is a dot, not a right-falling stroke. A common mistake is making the two halves too separate or writing the bottom as 天 with a right-falling stroke instead of a dot.

奏 (zòu) means to play music or present a memorial, while 奁 (lián) means a cosmetic box and 奂 (huàn) means grand or abundant. Visually, 奏 has the top 大 and bottom 天; 奁 has a roof-like top 大 and bottom 区; 奂 has a top 大 and bottom 攵 (strike). Pay attention to the bottom part: 奏 ends with a dot, 奁 ends with a box shape, and 奂 ends with a short-legged 攵.

奏 is commonly used in words like 演奏 (to perform music) and 节奏 (rhythm). It also appears in formal contexts like 奏效 (to prove effective) and historically in imperial memorials (奏章). In Chinese culture, music performance is highly valued, so 奏 carries a sense of skill and formality.

Common words containing 奏 include: 节奏 (jié zòu) — Rhythm / Tempo; 演奏 (yǎn zòu) — To play (a musical instrument); 奏效 (zòu xiào) — to prove effective / to work.