閉 (bì) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

閉

bì[bi4]Tone 4

to close

HSK 4

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闭

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English · to close

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Topology:Full enclosure

Strokes:6

Writing Balance Rule: The outer gate enclosure (门) must be drawn wide and stable, framing the inner components evenly without tilting.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 閉 uses 門 as the outer enclosure and 才 inside. The simplified form 闭 keeps the outer gate 门 and replaces the inner part with 才 for simpler handwriting strokes.

1. Meaning

to close

to stop upto shutto obstruct

VerbNeutral#action#spatial#movement

Sample Usage

请闭上眼睛。
Qǐng bì shàng yǎnjīng.
Please close your eyes.
这家店已经闭店了。
Zhè jiā diàn yǐjīng bì diàn le.
This shop has already closed down.

2. Sound

/[pi⁵¹]/Tone: 51

閉

bìbi4

`(51)

=bì

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Bilabial

Sounds like: b sound as 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 before releasing.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -i vowel group

Sounds like: ee sound as 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 abruptly to the bottom, like shouting 'No!' or commanding 'Stop!'

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the 4th tone (bì - falling) with the 1st tone (bī - high level) or 2nd tone (bí - rising).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, definitive chop downward with your hand, mirroring a door slamming shut.

3. Writing

Topology: Full enclosure · Strokes: 6 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The outer gate enclosure (门) must be drawn wide and stable, framing the inner components evenly without tilting.

4. Components

Radical 门 · Gate Radical (door, gate, opening)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 门 (Provides the semantic domain of doors, portals, and openings.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 才 (original sound: cái / bì phonetic convergence in Middle Chinese development)

A tall double-door gate (门) has a bar or talent piece (才) slid across it to shut it completely.

门 Gate enclosure
才 Inner component

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combining the image of a gate (门) with a phonetic and conceptual indicator showing a door being barred shut.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical act of shutting a literal door or gate to metaphorical closings such as closing eyes, closing businesses, or obstructing paths.

The traditional character 閉 clearly depicts a bird or barrier trapped inside a gate, emphasizing restriction.

6. Sinosphere

🇻🇳

Sino-Vietnamese

bế

Mandarin Tone 4 corresponds roughly to Vietnamese sắc or nặng tone depending on historical entering tones.

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: ヘイ / Kun: 闭.じる / と.じる

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

폐

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You walk up to the giant double-door GATE (门), slide the locking bar (才), and shut it tightly with a loud BI-I-IP sound!

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

闭

bìto closeBase character with gate enclosure.

闪

shǎnto flash / dodgeContains a person (人) inside the gate quickly dodging out.

问

wènto askContains a mouth (口) inside the gate, shouting a question.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

问(wèn)

问 has a mouth (口) inside the gate because you open your mouth to ask; 闭 has 才 inside because the gate is shut.

闪(shǎn)

闪 has a person (人) slipping past the doors in a flash.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

出門的時候請把門[___]上。

Clue: bì

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the inner component inside the gate (门) with 问 (mouth) or 闪 (person).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see the gate 门 with 才 inside, what action does it represent?

Production: How do you write 'to close' (bì) using the gate radical?

閉bìto close

Speed:

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