炳 meaning and stroke order
Bright, luminous; glorious
How to write 炳, 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 炳
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bright
- brilliant
- luminous
How 炳 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Fire.
火 gives the meaning and 丙 hints at the sound.
Radical: 火 (fire), shared by 128 characters on this site.
How to remember 炳
Fire 火 on the left gives the meaning of brightness, and 丙 (bǐng) on the right gives the sound. Picture a fire 火 burning so brightly that it lights up the third heavenly stem 丙, and you get 炳 (bǐng), bright and glorious.
炳 is a literary character. You mostly meet it in set phrases, in classical texts, and in personal names. A common idiom is 彪炳史册 (biāo bǐng shǐ cè), "to shine brilliantly in the history books," which describes great achievements. Example: 他的功绩彪炳史册。(Tā de gōngjì biāo bǐng shǐ cè.) His achievements shine in the annals of history.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 炳 (bǐng) with 柄 (bǐng, handle), which has the same sound and the same 丙 part but uses 木 (wood) instead of 火 (fire). Remember that fire is bright, while a wooden handle is something you hold.
Questions about 炳
How many strokes are in 炳?
炳 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 炳 mean?
炳 (bǐng) means bright, luminous; glorious.
How do you pronounce 炳?
炳 is pronounced bǐng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 炳?
The radical of 炳 is 火, which carries the idea of "fire". Dictionaries list 炳 under this radical.
Is 炳 used in everyday spoken Chinese?
Not really. In daily speech people say 明亮 (míngliàng) or 亮 (liàng) for "bright." 炳 appears mainly in idioms, formal writing, and names.
Why is 炳 common in Chinese names?
Because it means bright and glorious, parents choose it to wish a child a brilliant future. You will see it in given names such as 炳文 (Bǐngwén), especially among older generations.