HanziGuru.幣 · bì
幣
bì[bi4]Tone 4

currency

HSK 3
View Simplified FormSwitch to Simplified
币
Guru Deep Dive

English · currency

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Top-bottom
Strokes:5
Writing Balance Rule: The top crown should be compact and centered, while the bottom section '巾' spreads out steadily to anchor the character.
Simplification Logic: Simplified from 幣 (15 strokes) down to 币 (5 strokes) by replacing the complex financial components with a simplified structure retaining the towel radical base.
1. Meaning

money or currency

coinssilk fabric (historical original meaning)
NounFormal / Literary (mostly used in compound words)Bound morpheme#finance#economics#commerce
Sample Usage
  • 人民币
    rénmínbì
    Renminbi (Chinese currency)
  • 外币
    wàibì
    foreign currency
2. Sound
/[pi⁵¹]/Tone: 51
幣
bìbi4
++
`(51)
=bì
Initial Consonant
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b sound 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 firmly, releasing air gently without an accompanying puff.
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: ee sound as in see
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom of your vocal range, sounding like an emphatic command or a disappointed 'No!'.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the unvoiced bilabial 'b' with the aspirated 'p' or mixing up Tone 4 (bì) with Tone 2 (bí).
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, definitive chop downward with your hand, mirroring the falling pitch of Tone 4.
3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 5 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top crown should be compact and centered, while the bottom section '巾' spreads out steadily to anchor the character.

Simplification Logic: Simplified from 幣 (15 strokes) down to 币 (5 strokes) by replacing the complex financial components with a simplified structure retaining the towel radical base.

4. Components

Radical 巾 · Towel Radical (cloth, fabric, towel)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 巾 (indicates cloth or silk, which was used as early currency)

The character combines a head/top crown structure with the towel (巾) radical at the bottom, symbolizing how bolts of silk cloth were traditionally used as currency.

  • ⼇ lid or cover shape on top
  • 巾 towel or cloth at the bottom
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally referred to silk fabric. In ancient China, rolls of silk were used as a standard medium of exchange before metal coins became universal, hence the association with cloth (巾).

Semantic Evolution: From ancient silk fabric used as barter exchange to general currency, coins, and paper money.

  • Ancient Chinese taxation and trade frequently measured wealth in rolls of silk.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヘイ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
폐
Sound Shift Bridge: The bilabial initial 'b' mirrors historical plosive correspondences across East Asian character borrowings.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

You wrap your money (币) inside a magical silk towel (巾) under a cover, keeping your currency safe and hidden.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
师
shīteacherUses the 巾 towel radical at the bottom with a different top element representing a master.
帆
fānsailCombines the 巾 towel/cloth radical with 凡 to mean a cloth sail on a boat.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
市(shì)
市 means market and has a top dot/lid, whereas 币 has a flat horizontal top crown.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
去銀行需要兌換一些外[___]。
Clue: bì
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 币 (bì - currency) with 市 (shì - market) due to their near-identical top structures.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 币, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the character for currency/money (bì) using the towel radical?
Real-World Video Context

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

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

幣bìcurrency
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube