This English version was translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The Chinese text is authoritative.
In primary and secondary school, some classmates were often called “the king of wrong characters,” because they were always writing characters incorrectly. For an adult, constantly writing wrong characters is quite embarrassing.Recently, the magazine Yaowen Jiaozi (Chewing Words) reviewed some 3,000 books, 1,000 periodicals and 100 newspapers, and asked 100 news and publishing organizations to help survey their own character errors, compiling a list of common wrong characters. On this basis, according to error frequency and expert assessment, it drew up “The 100 Most Common Wrong Characters in Contemporary Chinese Publications.” It is reposted here.
(Arranged in the alphabetical order of the pinyin of the correct characters; the character in brackets is the correct one)
1. 按（安）装 (install) 2. 甘败（拜）下风 (concede defeat) 3. 自抱（暴）自弃 (give oneself up as hopeless) 4. 针贬（砭） (criticize sharply) 5. 泊（舶）来品 (imported goods)
6. 脉博（搏） (pulse) 7. 松驰（弛） (slack) 8. 一愁（筹）莫展 (at one’s wits’ end) 9. 穿（川）流不息 (flowing in an endless stream) 10. 精萃（粹） (essence)
11. 重迭（叠） (overlap) ]2. 渡（度）假村 (holiday resort) 13. 防（妨）碍 (hinder) 14. 幅（辐）射 (radiation) 15. 一幅（副）对联 (a pair of couplets)
16. 天翻地复（覆） (earth-shaking) 17. 言简意骇（赅） (concise and comprehensive) 18. 气慨（概） (mettle) 19. 一股（鼓）作气 (in one vigorous effort) 20. 悬梁刺骨（股） (studying with extreme diligence)
21. 粗旷（犷） (rough and bold) 22. 食不裹（果）腹 (not having enough to eat) 23. 震憾（撼） (shock) 24. 凑和（合） (make do) 25. 侯（候）车室 (waiting room)
26. 迫不急（及）待 (too impatient to wait) 27. 既（即）使 (even if) 28. 一如继（既）往 (as always) 29. 草管（菅）人命 (treat human life like grass) 30. 娇（矫）揉造作 (affected)
31. 挖墙角（脚） (undermine someone) 32. 一诺千斤（金） (a promise worth a thousand in gold) 33. 不径（胫）而走 (spread like wildfire) 34. 峻（竣）工 (completion of a project) 35. 不落巢（窠）臼 (not following the beaten track)
36. 烩（脍）炙人口 (on everyone’s lips) 37. 打腊（蜡） (to wax) 38. 死皮癩（赖）脸 (shameless) 39. 兰（蓝）天白云 (blue sky and white clouds) 40. 鼎立（力）相助 (give one’s full support)
4l. 再接再励（厉） (keep up the effort) 42. 老俩（两）口 (old couple) 43. 黄梁（粱）美梦 (a pipe dream) 44. 了（瞭）望 (look out from a height) 45. 水笼（龙）头 (water tap)
46. 杀戳（戮） (slaughter) 47. 痉孪（挛） (spasm) 48. 美仑（轮）美奂 (magnificent) 49. 罗（啰）唆 (long-winded) 50. 蛛丝蚂（马）迹 (traces and clues)
51. 萎糜（靡）不振 (listless) 52. 沉缅（湎） (be immersed in) 53. 名（明）信片 (postcard) 54. 默（墨）守成规 (stick to conventions) 55. 大姆（拇）指 (thumb)
56. 沤（呕）心沥血 (take infinite pains) 57. 凭（平）添 (add to) 58. 出奇（其）不意 (take by surprise) 59. 修茸（葺） (repair) 60. 亲（青）睐 (favour)
61. 磬（罄）竹难书 (crimes too numerous to record) 62. 入场卷（券） (admission ticket) 63. 声名雀（鹊）起 (rapidly rising fame) 64. 发韧（轫） (set out, begin) 65. 搔（瘙）痒病 (scrapie)
66. 欣尝（赏） (appreciate) 67. 谈笑风声（生） (talk and laugh cheerfully) 68. 人情事（世）故 (worldly wisdom) 69. 有持（恃）无恐 (secure in having backing) 70. 额首（手）称庆 (raise one’s hands to the forehead in celebration)
7]. 追朔（溯） (trace back) 72. 鬼鬼崇崇（祟祟） (sneaky) 73. 金榜提（题）名 (pass the imperial examination) 74. 走头（投）无路 (have nowhere to turn) 75. 趋之若骛（鹜） (flock after something like ducks)
76. 迁徒（徙） (migrate) 77. 洁白无暇（瑕） (spotless) 78. 九宵（霄） (the highest heavens) 79. 渲（宣）泄 (give vent to) 80. 寒喧（暄） (exchange pleasantries)
81. 弦（旋）律 (melody) 82. 膺（赝）品 (fake) 83. 不能自己（已） (unable to control oneself) 84. 尤（犹）如猛虎下山 (like a fierce tiger coming down the mountain) 85. 竭泽而鱼（渔） (drain the pond to catch the fish)
86. 滥芋（竽）充数 (make up the numbers without real ability) 87. 世外桃园（源） (a land of peach blossoms beyond the world) 88. 脏（赃）款 (illicit money) 89. 醮（蘸）水 (dip in water) 90. 蜇（蛰）伏 (hibernate, lie dormant)
91. 装祯（帧） (book binding and layout) 92. 饮鸠（鸩）止渴 (drink poison to quench thirst) 93. 坐阵（镇） (take personal command) 94. 旁证（征）博引 (quote copiously) 95. 灸（炙）手可热 (extremely influential)
96. 九洲（州） (the Nine Provinces, i.e. China) 97. 床第（笫）之私 (bedroom privacy) 98. 姿（恣）意妄为 (act wilfully) 99. 编篡（纂） (compile) 100. 做（坐）月子 (observe the month of postpartum confinement)
