Memory Map — a mnemonic, not etymologyping
- 丘the Rounded Hilltop
- 丿the Downward Slashbottom
A tiny white ball bounces off the Rounded Hill （丘） past the Downward Slash （丿） with a sharp ping.
乒
Tone 1
ping
HSK 7
Guru Deep Dive
English · ping
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雙生字Twin Character Traps (雙生字)
View in Twin Characters- Often confused with 兵 — 兵 has one extra long left-fall at the lower left compared with 乒.
- Often confused with 乓 — The first stroke is a left-fall in 乒 and a flat horizontal in 乓; every other stroke is the same.
11. Meaning
ping (onomatopoeia)
sound of a shot or hitfirst half of ping-pong (乒乓 pīngpāng)
Sample Usage
- 乒乓球table tennis / ping-pong
- 乒乒乓乓clatter / bang-bang
22. Sound
/[pʰɪŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
乒
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Build the syllable
Step-by-step blendingTone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "i" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
Type: Aspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: p sound in English pet
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Strong puff of air! A tissue held before lips MUST fly forward.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together firmly, releasing air sharply
Final Rhyme
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ing rhymes with ring or sing
Mouth Shape Guide: Combine initial 'p-' (p') with final '-ing' (eeng).
Common Learner Trap: Aspirated consonant! Release a strong puff of air on 'p-'.
Tone
T1 (55)5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is high and level (55), matching a flat, high-pitched monotone voice in English.
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Listening trap: Do not confuse it with bīng (冰 - ice), which uses an unaspirated b sound and keeps a paper tissue still.
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Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, steady flat line, like holding a high musical note on a piano or drawing a straight line across the very top of your visual field.
33. Writing6 strokes · animate & practice
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44. Components
Radical 丶 · Dot Radical (dot stroke)
The character 乒 is an isolated pictographic/indicative creation representing a broken square box, mirroring its partner 乓 to form the sound of a ping-pong ball bouncing back and forth.
- 兵-like frameA square enclosure missing its bottom floor stroke
55. HistoryCreated as an onomatopoeic character in modern times to mimic the sound of gu...
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)
Origin: Created as an onomatopoeic character in modern times to mimic the sound of gunfire or striking objects, splitting the visual elements of 兵 (soldier) into two distinct parts: 乒 (missing the bottom stroke) and 乓 (missing the top stroke).
Semantic Evolution: Originally used broadly for sharp striking sounds, it is now almost exclusively paired with 乓 to mean ping-pong or clattering noises.
- It is a relatively modern character invented specifically for phonetic mimicry.
- It shares an etymological sibling relationship with 乓.
66. SinosphereSino-Vietnamese binh · Kanji (Japanese) ヒョウ
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Sino-Vietnamese
binh
Mandarin Tone 1 corresponds roughly to ngang tone in Vietnamese.
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Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヒョウ
Sound Shift Bridge: Corresponds to sound mimicry roots in East Asian languages.
77. Memory
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
乓
乒 has a closed top and open bottom; 乓 has an open top and closed bottom.
兵
兵 is a complete enclosed box with a bottom floor (meaning soldier), whereas 乒 is incomplete.
88. Mastery他打得一手好[___]乓球。
Active Recall Challenge
他打得一手好[___]乓球。
Clue:
pīngCommon Learner Pitfall
Memory Prompts
Recognition: What sound does 乒 represent and what common sport does it build?
Production: How do you write the onomatopoeic ping sound character that lacks a bottom stroke?
🎬 Videos12 clips · real-world usage
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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