HanziGuru.胚 · pēi
胚
pēi[pei1]Tone 1

embryo

HSK 7
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · embryo

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:9
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (月) is narrower and compressed, while the right phonetic component (不) is wider and grounded to give structural stability.
1. Meaning

embryo

germnucleus of development
NounFormalBound morpheme#biology#medicine#reproduction
Sample Usage
  • 胚胎发育
    pēitāi fāyù
    embryonic development
  • 胚芽
    pēiyá
    plumule / plant embryo
2. Sound
/[pʰeɪ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
胚
pēipei1
++
¯(55)
=pēi
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
pei
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
p
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 tightly before releasing a burst of air.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: ei rhymes with 'eight' (without the t)
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, similar to a musical note sustained at the top of your vocal range.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the aspirated initial p- with b-, or mistaking the vowel sound for -ai.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Level flat hand gesture held high at eye level, matching the high flat pitch of Tone 1.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (月) is narrower and compressed, while the right phonetic component (不) is wider and grounded to give structural stability.

4. Components

Radical 月 · Flesh / Moon radical (flesh, body part)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 月 (indicates flesh, biological tissue, or bodily matter)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 不 (original sound: bù / pēi phonetic indicator)

The flesh radical (月) on the left combines with the phonetic element (不) on the right to form the biological concept of a growing flesh or embryo.

  • 月 Flesh / bodily tissue semantic clue
  • 不 Phonetic clue providing the sound pēi
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the flesh signifier (月) representing bodily tissue and (不) providing the sound, denoting the earliest stage of animal or plant development.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred strictly to biological embryos, later extended to botanical germs (胚芽) and metaphorical early developmental stages.

  • The flesh radical (月) is written as a variant of 肉 (meat/flesh) when placed on the left side of a character.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ハイ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
배
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Inside the growing flesh (月), a tiny new life says 'not yet' (不) to birth, resting safely as an embryo (胚).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
丕
pīgrandPhonetic Core (声旁)
呸
pēipah!; bah!+ 口 (mouth)
坯
pīblank (e.g. for a coin); unburnt earthenware+ 土 (earth)
狉
pīpuppy badger+ 犭 (dog)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
杯(bēi)
杯 has the tree/wood radical (木) for a wooden cup, whereas 胚 has the flesh radical (月) for a biological embryo.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
科学研究表明，这个[___]在早期发育阶段非常脆弱。
Clue: pēi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the phonetic right side (不) with similar radicals or mispronouncing the initial p- with a voiced b-.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 胚 mean when combined with 胎 (tāi)?
Production: How do you write the character for 'embryo' (pēi) using the flesh radical and the sound component 不?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

胚pēiembryo
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube