Besides scratching backs, the ju-i could also be used as a kind of "cheat sheet" -- Buddhist priests would write the words of prayers on the back so they could refresh their memories at a glance "as they wished." The function was thus similar to that of the court official's hu, or memorial tablet.
另外，如意也是僧具之一，除了用以抓癢，還可以私記節文祝辭於柄上備忘，像小抄一樣對著看，如此也可「如人之意」，作用正如朝吏手中的「笏」。