壁 meaning and stroke order
Partition, wall; rampart
How to write 壁, stroke by stroke
16 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 壁
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- wall
- rampart
How 壁 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 辟 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 壁
壁 (bì) is earth 土 at the bottom with 辟 (pì) on top giving the sound. Picture a wall built from packed earth, standing on the ground.
壁 rarely stands alone in speech. It appears in words like 墙壁 (qiángbì) wall, 壁画 (bìhuà) mural, and 隔壁 (gébì) next door. Example: 他住在我家隔壁。(Tā zhù zài wǒ jiā gébì.) He lives next door to me.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 壁 (bì, wall) with 璧 (bì, jade disc), which has 玉 at the bottom instead of 土. Both share the same sound, so check the bottom part: earth for a wall, jade for a jade piece.
Common words with 壁
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 隔壁 | gébì | next door; neighbor | HSK 5 |
| 墙壁 | qiángbì | wall | HSK 5 |
| 壁画 | bìhuà | mural (painting); fresco | HSK 7-9 |
| 戈壁 | gēbì | Gobi (desert) | HSK 7-9 |
| 壁橱 | bìchú | a built-in wardrobe or cupboard; closet | |
| 壁炉 | bìlú | fireplace | |
| 峭壁 | qiàobì | cliff; steep | |
| 壁球 | bìqiú | squash (sport) | |
| 壁纸 | bìzhǐ | wallpaper | |
| 碰壁 | pèngbì | to hit a wall; (fig.) to hit a brick wall; to hit a snag; to have the door slammed in one' |
壁 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 壁
How many strokes are in 壁?
壁 is written with 16 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 壁 mean?
壁 (bì) means partition, wall; rampart. A common word with it is 隔壁 (gébì), meaning "next door; neighbor".
How do you pronounce 壁?
壁 is pronounced bì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 壁?
The radical of 壁 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 壁 under this radical.
Is 壁 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 壁 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 墙 (qiáng) and 壁 (bì)?
墙 is the everyday word for a wall and can stand alone, as in 一面墙 (yí miàn qiáng). 壁 is more formal or literary and mostly appears inside compounds like 墙壁 or 壁炉 (bìlú) fireplace.
Why does 戈壁 mean the Gobi desert?
戈壁 (gēbì) is a transliteration of the Mongolian name, so the characters were chosen mainly for their sound. It also means a stony desert in general Chinese use.