碑 (bēi) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

碑

bēi[bei1]Tone 1

stone tablet

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · stone tablet

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (石) is narrow and compressed, leaving ample space for the right component (卑) to maintain a balanced, stable square form.

1. Meaning

Upright stone tablet or monument inscribed with text

SteleGravestone or tombstone

NounFormal#architecture#history#death and remembrance

Sample Usage

这座山上有许多古老的石碑。
zhè zuò shān shàng yǒu xǔduō gǔlǎo de shíbēi.
There are many ancient stone steles on this mountain.
烈士纪念碑永远耸立在广场上。
lièshì jìniànbēi yǒngyuǎn sǒnglì zài guǎngchǎng shàng.
The martyrs' monument forever towers over the square.

2. Sound

/[peɪ̯˥˥]/Tone: 55

碑

bēibei1

¯(55)

=bēi

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

bei

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" 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 like 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 together, releasing air gently without an accompanying puff.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with 'ay' in bay

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 stays flat and high, similar to singing a single high note or maintaining an even, uninterested 'Aah' sound.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with the 3rd tone běi (北 - north). Ensure your pitch stays high and level without dipping.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Tone 1 is a high, flat, level line. Hold your hand high and steady in the air like a flat horizon at eye level.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (石) is narrow and compressed, leaving ample space for the right component (卑) to maintain a balanced, stable square form.

4. Components

Radical 石 · Stone Radical (Stone, rock)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 石 (Indicates that the object is made of stone (a stone tablet).)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 卑 (original sound: bēi)

A stone tablet (石) is marked by a humble or low base (卑) where people pay respects.

石 Stone (semantic element)
卑 Low / Humble (phonetic element providing the bēi sound)

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

17· Phonetic Root: 卑 (bēi)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined 石 (stone) for the material object with 卑 (phonetic indicator) to denote a flat or upright stone slab used in ancient China for memorials and boundary markers.

Semantic Evolution: From ancient architectural slabs and boundary markers to commemorative monuments and gravestones today.

Steles (石碑) were widely used in imperial China to record imperial edicts, historical achievements, and poetry.
Calligraphers frequently study ancient steles (碑帖) for rubbings to master traditional brush strokes.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ヒ / Kun: いしぶみ

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

비

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Picture a heavy **STONE** (石) tablet that is placed remarkably **LOW** (卑) to the ground, serving as an ancient commemorative monument (碑).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

卑

bēihumblePhonetic Core (声旁)

啤

píbeer+ 口 (mouth)

牌

páisignboard, brand, playing card+ 片 (slice)

脾

píspleen+ ⺼ (meat)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

牌(pái)

牌 uses the piece/wood radical (片) for signboards or cards, whereas 碑 uses stone (石) for monuments.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这座历史悠久的古庙前有一块刻满文字的石[___]。

Clue: bēi

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the stone radical (石) with the left side of other similar characters like 牌 (片) or mixing up its tone with běi (北).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 碑, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'stone tablet' (bēi) using the stone radical and phonetic component?

碑bēistone tablet

Speed:

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