卑
mostly supplies the sound bēi/bì/pí/pái · Character component
mostly supplies the sound bēi/bì/pí/pái, and in some characters adds the sense of low, small, or lowly in rank
The old graph shows a hand at the bottom right gripping some object held up above it — the object has been read as a shell, a ladle, a fan, or an official's tally, and its identity is genuinely unclear. Whatever was being held, the act of holding something up for someone else came to mean serving, and from there "low in status, humble." In the modern form you can still pick out the small hand-shape 十 tucked under the right side of the block above it, which is the flattened remains of 又 "hand." Because the meaning is faint in most compounds, treat 卑 mainly as a sound clue — 碑 a stone monument, 脾 the spleen, 牌 a signboard — while 埤 a low wall, 庳 a low house, 婢 a servant girl and 陴 a parapet keep the idea of lowness or low rank.
卑 at a glance
- Meaning
- mostly supplies the sound bēi/bì/pí/pái
- Strokes
- 8
- Characters
- 23
- Role
- Usually contributes sound
Characters with 卑 (20 of 23)
HSK 3 · 1
HSK 4 · 1
HSK 6 · 1
Beyond HSK · 16
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 卑 mean?
卑 means "mostly supplies the sound bēi/bì/pí/pái". In the characters that contain it, it usually contributes sound.
How many Chinese characters contain 卑?
23 characters in this dictionary contain 卑, including ones at HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
How many strokes does 卑 have?
卑 is written in 8 strokes.