HanziGuru.匕 · bǐ
匕
bǐ[bi3]Tone 3

dagger

Guru Deep Dive

English · dagger

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Single character
Strokes:2
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the first horizontal-ish hook stroke balanced and let the curving vertical stroke sweep smoothly down and left.
1. Meaning

dagger

ladleancient type of spoon
NounFormal / LiteraryBound morpheme#weapon#utensil#body
Sample Usage
  • 图穷匕见
    tú qióng bǐ xiàn
    when the map is unrolled, the dagger is revealed (the truth comes out at last)
  • 匕首
    bǐ shǒu
    dagger, poniard
2. Sound
/[pi²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
匕
bǐbi3
++
ˇ(214)
=bǐ
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
bi
Tone 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
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b as in boy
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together briefly then released without a strong burst of air.
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: -ee as in see
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low like a skeptical 'Really?', matching the 214 contour.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone, bǐ shifts to a 2nd tone (rising 35).
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse with 1st tone bī or 4th tone bì; make sure to dip the pitch fully in the middle.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Start at a medium-low pitch, dip down toward your chest, and sweep your hand upward.
3. Writing

Topology: Single character · Strokes: 2 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the first horizontal-ish hook stroke balanced and let the curving vertical stroke sweep smoothly down and left.

4. Components

Radical 匕 · Dagger Radical (dagger or spoon)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 匕 (Depicts a short knife or spoon)

A simple two-stroke glyph depicting the silhouette of a curved ancient knife or spoon.

  • 丿 Slanting stroke forming the top left edge
  • ㇟ Vertical hook stroke completing the blade or handle
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)

Origin: Originally depicted a small dagger or knife held horizontally or vertically, later also used to represent a spoon or person sitting on the ground.

Semantic Evolution: Over time, it came to mean a short dagger (bǐ shǒu) or a spoon, and frequently serves as a radical component in characters related to spoons or transformation.

  • Famous idiom '图穷匕见' comes from an assassination attempt where a map was unrolled to reveal a hidden dagger.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
chuỷ
Mandarin 3rd tone corresponds to Vietnamese hỏi or ngã tone variants.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヒ / Kun: さじ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
비
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine a tiny samurai dagger (匕) hidden inside a soup spoon, flashing in the light when you take a bite.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
颖
yǐngclever, gifted, tip+ 禾 (grain)
叱
chìto scold; shout at+ 口 (mouth)
庀
pǐto prepare+ 广 (shelter)
牝
pìn(of a bird, animal or plant) female; keyhole+ 牛 (cow)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
人(rén)
rén is a person standing with open legs; 匕 has a hooked blade contour at the end.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
刺客把[___]藏在地图下面。
Clue: bǐ
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the stroke order of 匕 (first the short falling stroke, then the vertical hook stroke).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the 2-stroke character 匕 mean?
Production: How do you write the character for 'dagger' (bǐ) in 2 strokes?
Real-World Video Context

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

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