培 meaning and stroke order
To cultivate, to farm; to shore up
How to write 培, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 培
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to bank up with earth
- to cultivate (lit. or fig.)
- to train (people)
How 培 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 咅 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 培
培 has earth 土 (tǔ) on the left, which gives the meaning, and 咅 (pǒu) on the right, which hints at the sound. Picture a gardener piling earth around a young plant so it can grow strong. That is cultivating.
培 rarely appears alone. It shows up in words about growing plants or developing people, such as 培养 (péiyǎng), 培训 (péixùn) and 栽培 (zāipéi). Example: 公司每年都培训新员工。(Gōngsī měi nián dōu péixùn xīn yuángōng.) The company trains new employees every year.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 培 with 陪 (péi, to accompany). They share the same right side and the same sound, but 培 has earth 土 for growing things and 陪 has the ear radical 阝 for keeping someone company. Writing 陪养 instead of 培养 is a common error.
Common words with 培
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
培 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 培
How many strokes are in 培?
培 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 培 mean?
培 (péi) means to cultivate, to farm; to shore up. A common word with it is 培养 (péiyǎng), meaning "to cultivate; to breed".
How do you pronounce 培?
培 is pronounced péi, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 培?
The radical of 培 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 培 under this radical.
Is 培 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 培 is part of the HSK 4 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 培养 and 培训?
培养 (péiyǎng) means developing someone or something over a long time, like a habit, talent or a child's interests. 培训 (péixùn) is more formal, organized training, usually for a job or skill, often in a course or 培训班 (péixùnbān).
Why does 培根 mean bacon?
培根 (péigēn) is a loanword chosen for its sound, which is close to the English word bacon. The meaning of 培 has nothing to do with it here. It is also used for the name of the philosopher Francis Bacon.