毙 (bì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

毙

bì[bi4]Tone 4

to die, to shoot dead

HSK 7

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斃

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to die, to shoot dead

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:15

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (死) should be slightly compressed to make room for the bottom execution/strike component (攴/攵), ensuring vertical harmony without looking top-heavy.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 斃 was simplified to 毙 by replacing the complex side/bottom structure and retaining phonetic/semantic cues in a streamlined form.

1. Meaning

to die or to execute by shooting

to rejectto fall forward(suffix) to death

VerbFormalBound morpheme#death#violence#execution

Sample Usage

罪犯被枪毙了。
zuìfàn bèi qiāngbì le.
The criminal was executed by firing squad.
这个方案被毙掉了。
zhège fāng'àn bèi bì diào le.
This proposal was rejected/scrapped.

2. Sound

/[pi⁵¹]/Tone: 51

毙

bìbi4

`(51)

=bì

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

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

Type: Unaspirated Bilabial

Sounds like: b sound in boy

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Both lips pressed together, then released with air pressure, vocal cords vibrating for the vowel.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: ee sound 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, like a sudden exclamation of 'No!'

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with Tone 1 (bī) or Tone 3 (bǐ). The sharp drop of Tone 4 sounds like a sudden cutoff.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A swift, sharp karate chop downward from high to low, mirroring the finality of death or rejection.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (死) should be slightly compressed to make room for the bottom execution/strike component (攴/攵), ensuring vertical harmony without looking top-heavy.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 斃 was simplified to 毙 by replacing the complex side/bottom structure and retaining phonetic/semantic cues in a streamlined form.

4. Components

Radical 歹 · Death / Bone Radical (Death, decay, or misfortune)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 死 (Provides the core meaning of death.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 比 (original sound: bi)

A person facing death (死) meets a strike or weapon (攵), leading to a violent end or shooting dead (毙).

死 death / to die
攵 rap / strike / action

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

21· Phonetic Root: 比 (bǐ)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from 死 (death) and a phonetic/action element indicating a strike or official execution.

Semantic Evolution: Originally meant falling down dead or perishing, later extended to execution by firing squad (枪毙) and colloquial rejection of proposals.

In modern times, it is most frequently encountered in the compound 枪毙 (qiāngbì, executed by shooting).

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

tệ

Mandarin Tone 4 corresponds to Vietnamese nặng or sắc depending on historical developments.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ヒョウ (hyou) / ヘイ (hei) / Kun: たお.れる (taoreru)

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

폐

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine someone meeting their ultimate end (死) after a sudden strike (攵), falling forward and dropping dead (毙) under a sharp falling tone.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

比

bǐto compare, ratio, than, BelgiumPhonetic Core (声旁)

批

pīto batch, to criticize, to ascertain+ 扌 (hand)

毕

bìto finish, complete, whole+ 十 (ten)

屁

pìfart, flatulence, nonsense+ 尸 (body)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

陛(bì)

Has the mound/earth radical (阝) instead of death (死), used in imperial stairs (陛下).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这个犯人被判处死刑并枪[___]了。

Clue: bì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with Tone 3 (bǐ) or misremembering the complex top-bottom structure as a left-right character.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 毙, what is its primary violent meaning and pronunciation?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to shoot dead / to die' with pinyin bì?

毙bìto die, to shoot dead

Speed:

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