Definitions

pen

Etymology

Variant of . Pictograph of a hand holding a writing utensil.

About

As a structural radical in modern Chinese, the character 肀 (yù) depicts a hand holding an ancient writing brush. This pictograph represents a stylus or bamboo implement used for etching characters before the development of modern ink brushes. While rarely used independently today, it forms the foundational component of characters related to writing and administration, such as 聿 (yù) and 笔 (bǐ). This structure illustrates the early Chinese connection between manual craft and written record-keeping.