悲 (bēi) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

悲

bēi[bei1]Tone 1

sad

HSK 5

Guru Deep Dive

English · sad

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:11

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (非) must be wider and spread out, while the bottom component (心) anchors the character compactly below.

1. Meaning

sad

sadnesssorrowgrief

Adjective / NounNeutral#emotion#psychology#feelings

Sample Usage

听到这个消息，他感到很悲伤。
tīng dào zhè gè xiāo xī, tā gǎn dào hěn bēi shāng.
Hearing this news, he felt very sorrowful.
生离死别总是让人悲痛。
shēng lí sǐ bié zǒng shì ràng rén bēi tòng.
Partings in life and death always make people grieve.

2. Sound

/[peɪ̯˥˥]/Tone: 55

悲

bēibei1

¯(55)

=bēi

Initial Consonant

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: Both lips closed tightly together before releasing gently without a puff of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'ay' in day

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, similar to holding a single musical note at the top of your vocal range.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse Tone 1 high level [55] with Tone 2 rising [35]; keep it entirely flat without letting your voice pitch climb.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Hold your flat hand high in the air and level like a tabletop, making a steady level gesture.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 11 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (非) must be wider and spread out, while the bottom component (心) anchors the character compactly below.

4. Components

Radical 心 · Heart Radical (Heart, emotions, mind)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 心 (Indicates emotions and feelings of sorrow)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 非 (original sound: fēi / bēi phonetic clue)

The character combines 'non' or 'wrong' (非) sitting directly above the 'heart' (心). It portrays a heart that feels something is terribly wrong, leading to deep sadness.

非 Top phonetic/semantic part representing opposition or wrongness
心 Bottom heart radical representing emotional state

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

26· Phonetic Root: 非 (fēi)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed with 非 (indicating deviation or contradiction) placed over 心 (heart), depicting a troubled, grieving heart where things are not as they should be.

Semantic Evolution: From an original sense of a troubled, aching heart in ancient texts to general meanings of grief, sorrow, and sadness in modern Mandarin.

The radical 心 often appears at the bottom of emotion characters as a 'heart base'.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ヒ / Kun: かな.しい

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

비

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

When things go completely wrong (非) in your life, your heart (心) sinks into deep sadness and grief (bēi).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

悲

bēisadBase character with heart on the bottom.

绯

fēiscarlet / redReplaces heart (心) with silk radical (纟).

罪

zuìcrime / guiltReplaces heart (心) with net radical (罒).

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

辈(bèi)

辈 has 车 on the bottom instead of 心, meaning generation or contemporaries rather than sadness.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

听到这个消息，他感到十分[___]伤。

Clue: bēi

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the top component 非 with other similar components like 兆 or 兼 when handwriting.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 悲 mean and how is it pronounced with tone?

Production: How do you write the character for 'sad' (bēi) combining 非 and 心?

悲bēisad

Speed:

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