毙 meaning and stroke order
To kill; to die a violent death
How to write 毙, stroke by stroke
10 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
- 10
Meaning of 毙
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to die
- to shoot dead
- to reject
- to fall forward
- (suffix) to death
- to collapse
How 毙 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Death.
死 gives the meaning and 比 hints at the sound.
Radical: 比 (to compare), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 毙
毙 is built from 比 (bǐ) on top and 死 (sǐ, death) below. 比 gives the sound bì, and 死 tells you the meaning: dying, especially a violent death.
毙 rarely stands alone in modern speech. It mostly appears in words like 枪毙 (qiāngbì, to execute by shooting), 击毙 (jībì, to shoot dead) and the idiom 坐以待毙 (zuòyǐdàibì). Example: 歹徒被警察击毙了。(Dǎitú bèi jǐngchá jībì le.) The criminal was shot dead by the police.
Common mistake: Learners often read 毙 as bǐ because of the 比 on top, but the correct tone is fourth tone, bì. Also do not confuse it with 毕 (bì, to finish), which sounds the same but has 十 at the bottom instead of 死.
Common words with 毙
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 枪毙 | qiāngbì | to execute by firing squad; to shoot dead | HSK 7-9 |
| 击毙 | jībì | to kill; to shoot dead | |
| 坐以待毙 | zuòyǐdàibì | to sit and wait for death (idiom); resigned to one's fate | |
| 毙命 | bìmìng | to meet violent death; to get killed |
毙 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 毙
How many strokes are in 毙?
毙 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 毙 mean?
毙 (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 毙?
毙 is pronounced bì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 毙?
The radical of 毙 is 比, which carries the idea of "to compare". Dictionaries list 毙 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 毙?
The traditional form of 毙 is 斃 and 獘. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 毙 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 毙 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 毙 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 枪毙 be used in a non-violent sense?
Yes. In casual speech 枪毙 or just 毙 can mean to reject or kill an idea, as in 这个方案被毙了 (zhège fāng'àn bèi bì le), this plan got rejected.
What is the difference between 死 and 毙?
死 (sǐ) is the everyday word for to die in any way. 毙 is more formal or dramatic and usually suggests a violent death, such as being shot or killed.