兵 meaning and stroke order
Soldiers; a force; an army
How to write 兵, stroke by stroke
7 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Meaning of 兵
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- soldiers
- a force
- an army
- weapons
- arms
- military
How 兵 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Two hands 八 holding an axe 丘.
Radical: 八 (eight), shared by 11 characters on this site.
How to remember 兵
The top part looks like 丘 and stands for an axe, and the bottom 八 is two hands gripping it. Picture two hands holding up an axe, ready to fight, and you have a soldier, 兵 (bīng).
兵 often means soldiers or military force. It usually appears in compounds like 士兵 (shìbīng) and 当兵 (dāngbīng) rather than standing alone. Example: 他哥哥在当兵。(Tā gēge zài dāngbīng.) His older brother is serving in the army.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 兵 with 乒 (pīng) and 乓 (pāng) from 乒乓球. Those each have only one leg stroke at the bottom, while 兵 has two. Also keep the first tone on bīng and do not mix it up with 冰 (bīng, ice), which sounds the same but means something different.
Common words with 兵
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 士兵 | shìbīng | soldier | HSK 4 |
| 官兵 | guānbīng | (military) officers and soldiers; officers and men | HSK 7-9 |
| 骑兵 | qíbīng | cavalry | |
| 卫兵 | wèibīng | guard; bodyguard | |
| 当兵 | dāngbīng | to serve in the army; to be a soldier | |
| 步兵 | bùbīng | infantry; foot | |
| 新兵 | xīnbīng | (military) raw recruit; rookie; newcomer (to a profession or field) | |
| 兵力 | bīnglì | military strength; armed forces | |
| 兵团 | bīngtuán | large military unit; formation | |
| 大兵 | dàbīng | soldier; large army | |
| 兵器 | bīngqì | weaponry; weapons | |
| 老兵 | lǎobīng | old soldier; veteran; veteran (sb who has a lot of experience in some domain) | |
| 逃兵 | táobīng | army deserter | |
| 雇佣兵 | gùyōngbīng | (military) mercenary |
兵 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 兵
Learning 兵 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 兵
How many strokes are in 兵?
兵 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 兵 mean?
兵 (bīng) means soldiers; a force; an army. A common word with it is 士兵 (shìbīng), meaning "soldier".
How do you pronounce 兵?
兵 is pronounced bīng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 兵?
The radical of 兵 is 八, which carries the idea of "eight". Dictionaries list 兵 under this radical.
Is 兵 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 兵 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
What is the difference between 兵 and 军?
兵 focuses on soldiers as people or on fighting forces, as in 士兵 (shìbīng). 军 (jūn) refers more to the army as an organization, as in 军队 (jūnduì) army or 海军 (hǎijūn) navy.
Does 兵 appear in any common sayings?
Yes. A well known idiom is 兵来将挡，水来土掩 (bīng lái jiàng dǎng, shuǐ lái tǔ yǎn), which means you deal with problems as they come. In chess, 兵 is also the name of the red side's pawn.