悲 meaning and stroke order
Sorrow, sadness, grief; to be sorry
How to write 悲, stroke by stroke
12 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 悲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- sad
- sadness
- sorrow
- grief
How 悲 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 非 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 悲
悲 is a pictophonetic character: 心 (heart) at the bottom gives the meaning, and 非 (fēi) on top hints at the sound. Picture a heart weighed down by 非 (wrong, not right), and you have a heart full of sorrow.
悲 rarely stands alone in everyday speech. It usually appears in words like 悲伤 (bēishāng, sad), 悲剧 (bēijù, tragedy) and 悲观 (bēiguān, pessimistic). Example: 这是一个悲伤的故事。(Zhè shì yí ge bēishāng de gùshi.) This is a sad story.
Common mistake: Learners often write 悲 with the tone of 非 (fēi) or misread it as fēi, but 悲 is bēi with a b sound. Also do not confuse it with 背 (bèi, back), which sounds similar but has 月 at the bottom instead of 心.
Common words with 悲
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 悲伤 | bēishāng | sad; sorrowful | HSK 5 |
| 悲剧 | bēijù | tragedy | HSK 5 |
| 悲惨 | bēicǎn | miserable; tragic | HSK 6 |
| 可悲 | kěbēi | lamentable | HSK 7-9 |
| 悲哀 | bēi'āi | grieved; sorrowful | HSK 7-9 |
| 悲痛 | bēitòng | grieved; sorrowful | HSK 7-9 |
| 悲观 | bēiguān | pessimistic | HSK 7-9 |
| 悲欢离合 | bēihuān-líhé | joys and sorrows; partings and reunions | HSK 7-9 |
| 慈悲 | cíbēi | mercy | |
| 悲痛欲绝 | bēitòngyùjué | (idiom) to be overcome with grief |
悲 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 悲
How many strokes are in 悲?
悲 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 悲 mean?
悲 (bēi) means sorrow, sadness, grief; to be sorry. A common word with it is 悲伤 (bēishāng), meaning "sad; sorrowful".
How do you pronounce 悲?
悲 is pronounced bēi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 悲?
The radical of 悲 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 悲 under this radical.
Is 悲 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 悲 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
What is the difference between 悲伤 and 难过?
难过 (nánguò) is the everyday word for feeling sad or upset and fits casual speech. 悲伤 (bēishāng) sounds stronger and more formal, often used for deep grief or in writing.
What does 悲观 mean and what is its opposite?
悲观 (bēiguān) means pessimistic, literally a sorrowful view. Its opposite is 乐观 (lèguān), optimistic.