聘 (pìn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

聘

pìn[pin4]Tone 4

to employ; to appoint

HSK 6

Guru Deep Dive

English · to employ; to appoint

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (耳) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (骋) is broader and commands the right half, ensuring the character does not lean to either side.

1. Meaning

to employ; to engage someone for a job

to betroth (engagement or marriage)to marry off (of a woman, colloquial)to visit another state as a diplomatic envoy (literary)

VerbFormal / Neutral#employment#society#relationships#law and government

Sample Usage

这家公司正在招聘人才。
zhè jiā gōng sī zhèng zài zhāo pìn rén cái.
This company is currently recruiting talented personnel.
他被受聘为高级顾问。
tā bèi shòu pìn wéi gāo jí gù wèn.
He was engaged/appointed as a senior consultant.

2. Sound

/[pʰin⁵¹]/Tone: 51

聘

pìnpin4

`(51)

=pìn

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Bilabial

Sounds like: p sound in 'pat'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Strong puff of air! A tissue held before lips MUST fly forward.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Both lips pressed together, then forcefully opened to release a puff of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: -in rhymes with 'bean' or 'pin'

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

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, just like saying 'No!' or 'Stop!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Often confused with pin1 (first tone) or pin3 (third tone) if the sharp falling contour of Tone 4 is not executed with enough downward pitch drop.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful karate chop downward from high to low, mirroring the abruptness of Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (耳) is narrower and slightly taller, while the right side (骋) is broader and commands the right half, ensuring the character does not lean to either side.

4. Components

Radical 耳 · Ear Radical (ear, hearing, listening)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 耳 (Indicates listening, inquiring, or taking counsel when employing someone or making inquiries.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 骋 (original sound: pìn)

An ear (耳) listens carefully to assess someone's qualifications before they are employed or appointed (聘), while the right side provides the sound clue.

耳 Ear (semantic/radical clue)
甡 Phonetic and structural component on the right

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

5· Phonetic Root: 甹 (pīng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combining the ear radical (耳) to denote listening to counsel or making inquiries, paired with a phonetic element to represent the sound of sending an envoy or hiring talent.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from ancient diplomatic missions and inquiries into formal hiring, appointments, and engagements.

In ancient times, rulers would send envoys ('聘') bearing gifts to invite talented scholars or establish alliances between states.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ヒン / Kun: qù.ru / to.u

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

빙

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

To **employ** (聘) someone, you first listen closely with your **ear** (耳) during the interview, making sure their qualifications gallop forth like a horse.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

骋

chěngto gallop / to run fastReplaces the ear element with a horse radical or shares the right side with different left radicals.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

骋(chěng)

骋 uses the Horse radical (马) on the left (galloping horse), whereas 聘 uses the Ear radical (耳) on the left (listening/hiring).

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这家跨国公司正在向社会公开[___]优秀的管理人才。

Clue: pìn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 聘 (pìn) with 骋 (chěng) because they share the same phonetic right-hand side structure.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 聘, what primary economic or HR action does it denote?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to employ / to appoint' (pìn)?

聘pìnto employ; to appoint

Speed:

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