斃 meaning and stroke order
To kill; to die a violent death
How to write 斃, stroke by stroke
17 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 斃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to die
- to shoot dead
- to reject
- to fall forward
- (suffix) to death
How 斃 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Death.
死 gives the meaning and 敝 hints at the sound.
Radical: 攵 (to rap), shared by 36 characters on this site.
How to remember 斃
斃 stacks 敝 (bì) on top of 死 (sǐ, death). The top part gives the sound bì, and the bottom 死 tells you the meaning is about dying.
斃 is the traditional form; in mainland China you will usually see the simplified 毙. It appears mostly in compounds about violent death or killing, such as 枪毙 (qiāngbì, to execute by shooting) and 击毙 (jībì, to shoot dead), often in news reports. Example: 他被警察击毙了。(Tā bèi jǐngchá jībì le.) He was shot dead by the police.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 斃 with 弊 (bì, fraud or disadvantage) and 蔽 (bì, to cover), since all three share 敝 and the same sound. Only 斃 has 死 at the bottom, so check for death in the meaning.
Common words with 斃
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 槍斃 | qiāngbì | to execute by firing squad; to shoot dead | HSK 7-9 |
| 擊斃 | jībì | to kill; to shoot dead | |
| 坐以待斃 | zuòyǐdàibì | to sit and wait for death (idiom); resigned to one's fate | |
| 斃命 | bìmìng | to meet violent death; to get killed |
Questions about 斃
How many strokes are in 斃?
斃 is written with 17 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 斃 mean?
斃 (bì) means to kill; to die a violent death. A common word with it is 枪毙 (qiāngbì), meaning "to execute by firing squad; to shoot dead".
How do you pronounce 斃?
斃 is pronounced bì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 斃?
The radical of 斃 is 攵, which carries the idea of "to rap". Dictionaries list 斃 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 斃?
斃 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 毙, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 坐以待毙 mean and when is it used?
坐以待毙 (zuòyǐdàibì) literally means to sit and wait for death. It is used to say someone should not passively accept a bad situation, as in 我们不能坐以待毙 (We can't just sit and wait for disaster).
Can 斃 be used as a plain word for 'to die' in daily speech?
Not usually. Everyday speech uses 死 (sǐ) or 去世 (qùshì). 斃 sounds harsh and is reserved for violent deaths, executions, or slangy phrases like 毙了 meaning to reject an idea.