HanziGuru.兵 · bīng
兵
bīng[bing1]Tone 1

soldier

HSK 4
Guru Deep Dive

English · soldier

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:7
Writing Balance Rule: The top component (斤) must be slightly compact, while the bottom component (丘) spreads out to provide a stable base for the entire character.
1. Meaning

soldier

armymilitary forceweapons or arms
NounNeutral#military#warfare#personnel
Sample Usage
  • 中国士兵
    zhōngguó bīngshì
    Chinese soldiers
  • 纸上谈兵
    zhǐ shàng tán bīng
    armchair strategist (lit. discussing warfare on paper)
2. Sound
/[pɪŋ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
兵
bīngbing1
++
¯(55)
=bīng
Initial Consonant
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b sound as in spin
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips firmly closed together before releasing into the vowel
Final Rhyme
ing
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ing rhymes with sing
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'eeng'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, similar to a flat plateau or a monotone singing note.
👂
Listening trap: Do not aspirate the initial 'b'. It is a soft, unaspirated sound in Mandarin, closer to the 'p' in English 'spin' than the 'p' in 'pin'.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine a flat, high-pitched musical note held steady at the top of your vocal range, like a single note played on a flute.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (斤) must be slightly compact, while the bottom component (丘) spreads out to provide a stable base for the entire character.

4. Components

Radical 丘 · Hill Radical (hill, mound)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 斤 (axe, weapon)

A soldier (兵) is represented by an axe or weapon (斤) held over a hill or military terrain (丘).

  • 斤 axe or weapon
  • 丘 mound or hill
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)

Origin: Originally depicted a pair of hands holding a weapon or axe. Over time, the hands evolved into the shape '斤' (axe) placed above '丘' (representing a person or a hill where soldiers gather).

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the general concept of weapons and armed men to specific military personnel, soldiers, and armed forces.

  • In ancient China, military power was closely tied to agrarian defense, symbolized by basic hand weapons.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヒョウ, ヘイ / Kun: つわもの
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
병
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a brave soldier standing guard on top of a hill (丘), proudly holding his trusty axe/weapon (斤) ready for action.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
乓
pāngbang, clatterShares the sound concept, often paired with 乒 for table tennis (乒乓 pīngpāng).
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
丘(qiū)
丘 is just the bottom hill part without the weapon (斤) on top.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
那个国家派了很多[___]去维护和平。
Clue: bīng
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top radical '斤' with similar top components like '氏' or 'ト', and mispronouncing the initial 'b' as strongly aspirated.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does 兵 mean and how is it pronounced with tones?
Production: How do you write the character for 'soldier' using the components for 'axe' and 'hill'?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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