毖 meaning and stroke order
Caution; to guard against, to take care
How to write 毖, stroke by stroke
9 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
- 8
- 9
Meaning of 毖
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- careful
- to prevent
How 毖 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Compare.
比 gives the meaning and 必 hints at the sound.
Radical: 比 (to compare), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 毖
毖 puts 比 (bǐ, compare) on top of 必 (bì, must). You must compare things carefully before acting, so 毖 means to be cautious, and 必 also gives it the sound bì.
毖 is a rare, literary character. It mostly appears in the set phrase 惩前毖后 (chéng qián bì hòu), which means learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones. Example: 我们要惩前毖后。(Wǒmen yào chéng qián bì hòu.) We should learn from past mistakes to prevent them in the future.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 毖 with 毕 (bì, finish), which also has 比 on top but 十 below. Check the bottom part: 毖 has 必, with its dots and hook.
Questions about 毖
How many strokes are in 毖?
毖 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 毖 mean?
毖 (bì) means caution; to guard against, to take care.
How do you pronounce 毖?
毖 is pronounced bì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 毖?
The radical of 毖 is 比, which carries the idea of "to compare". Dictionaries list 毖 under this radical.
Can I use 毖 by itself to say 'be careful' in daily speech?
No. In everyday Chinese people say 小心 (xiǎoxīn) or 注意 (zhùyì). 毖 survives mainly in the idiom 惩前毖后 and in classical texts.
What does 惩前毖后 literally mean?
惩 means to punish or learn a lesson, 前 is the past, 毖 is to guard against, and 后 is the future. Together it means taking lessons from earlier errors so you are careful later.