Writing Balance Rule: The left component is slightly shorter and higher, while the right component sits slightly lower and mirrors the stroke angle, maintaining equal visual weight.
1. Meaning
to compare
ratio or proportioncomparison marker in grammatical structures (more than)to gesture with handsabbreviation for Belgium (比利时)
Which of these two products is better? Compare them.
他比我高。
Tā bǐ wǒ gāo.
He is taller than me.
2. Sound
/[pi²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
比
bǐbi3
|
++
ˇ(214)
=bǐ
Initial Consonant
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b like 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 then gently released; tongue lies flat in the mouth floor.
Final Rhyme
i
Vowel Group: -i vowel group
Sounds like: ee sound in meet
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ee'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
2 → 1 → 4 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips low in pitch and rises back up, similar to saying 'What?' in English when asking for repetition with disbelief.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone, it changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35), e.g., bǐshǒu becomes bíshǒu.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the 3rd tone dipping contour with the 4th tone falling contour, making it sound like bì instead of bǐ.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: dip down sharply from chin level and swoop back up to eye level.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 4 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left component is slightly shorter and higher, while the right component sits slightly lower and mirrors the stroke angle, maintaining equal visual weight.
4. Components
Radical比 · Comparison Radical (compare, side by side)
Semantic Clue (形旁):比 (Two people standing side by side facing the same direction to be compared.)
The character consists of two identical person elements (𠄎) standing side by side, perfectly matching each other in height for a fair comparison.
匕 Spoon or person radical variant
匕 Second person variant standing beside the first
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
21· Phonetic Root: 比 (bǐ)
5. History
Liushu category: Compound ideogram (会意)
Origin: In Oracle Bone script, '比' depicted two figures of people standing closely side by side, denoting companionship, following closely, or comparing stature.
Semantic Evolution: From standing side by side or following closely, it extended to comparing measurements and proportions, and eventually into a comparative grammatical particle.
The ancient shape clearly shows two people walking in the same direction, symbolizing alignment or emulation.
6. Sinosphere
🇻🇳
Sino-Vietnamese
tỷ
Mandarin 3rd tone corresponds roughly to Vietnamese hỏi or ngã tone.
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヒ (hi) / Kun: くら.べる (kuraberu)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
비
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 'b-' correlates with Japanese/Korean historical borrowings maintaining labial plosives.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
Two identical twin spoons (匕) stand side by side on the kitchen counter so you can compare their sizes.
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
皆
jiēall, everyoneAdds the 'white' (白) component on top of 'compare'.
批
pīto criticize, batchAdds hand radical (扌) on the left for physical action.
辈
bèigenerationAdds non (非) component underneath.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
北(běi)
北 means north and has a vertical hook stroke on the right instead of matching the parallel strokes of 比.
此(cǐ)
此 means 'this' and features a stop radical (止) on the right side.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
哥哥 [___] 我高。
Clue: bǐ
Common Learner Pitfall
Placing the comparative word '比' after the adjective instead of between the subject and object (e.g., writing 我高比 instead of 我比高).
Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 比, what core concept of measurement or relationship comes to mind?
Production: How do you write the character meaning 'to compare' using two side-by-side elements?
Real-World Video Context
Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.
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比bǐto compare, ratio, than, Belgium
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