Writing Balance Rule: The cave-like shelter radical (广) frames the top and left, while the inner component (比) must be neatly tucked underneath and to the right without breaking past the bottom edge.
1. Meaning
to protect, shelter, or cover
to harbor or shield (often in a negative context, e.g., shielding wrongdoers)blessing or shelter from above
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 sound as in 'bee'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Lips pressed together lightly then released.
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)
5 → 1 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom of your vocal range, sounding like a sharp command or an emphatic 'No!'.
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Listening trap: Confusing the unvoiced bilabial stop 'b' with the aspirated 'p', or confusing Tone 4 (falling) with Tone 1 (high level).
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Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful downward slash with the hand, matching the decisive nature of Tone 4.
3. Writing
Topology: Semi-enclosure · Strokes: 7 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The cave-like shelter radical (广) frames the top and left, while the inner component (比) must be neatly tucked underneath and to the right without breaking past the bottom edge.
4. Components
Radical广 · Shelter Radical (cliff, building, or shelter)
Semantic Clue (形旁):广 (Provides the semantic field of a physical roof, cave, or shelter.)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):比 (original sound: bì)
A large building or cliff shelter (广) standing closely side-by-side (比) with people to keep them safe and covered.
广 Shelter / Roof
比 Phonetic clue and indicator of closeness
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
21· Phonetic Root: 比 (bǐ)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combining 广 (cliff/shelter) to indicate a protective covering and 比 (bì) to supply the phonetic pronunciation.
Semantic Evolution: Originally denoting physical covering under a roof or cliff, it broadened to abstract protection, sheltering, and legal harboring.
Often encountered in formal legal or political contexts such as '包庇' (to harbor a criminal).
6. Sinosphere
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Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヒ / Kun: かば.う
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Hanja (Korean)
비
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Underneath a broad cliff shelter (广), two people stand side-by-side (比) close together, sheltered and protected from the harsh storm.