狽 meaning and stroke order
A legendary wolf; distressed, wretched
How to write 狽, 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.
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Meaning of 狽
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- a legendary wolf
- distressed
- wretched
How 狽 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Dog.
犭 gives the meaning and 貝 hints at the sound.
Radical: 犭 (dog), shared by 88 characters on this site.
How to remember 狽
The dog radical 犭 on the left marks an animal, and 貝 (bèi, shell) on the right gives the sound. Picture a scruffy wolf-like beast clutching a shell, looking wretched and lost.
狽 almost never appears alone in modern Chinese. It lives in the word 狼狈 (lángbèi, simplified 狼狈), meaning to be in an awkward, embarrassing, or sorry state. Example: 他被雨淋得很狼狈。(Tā bèi yǔ lín de hěn lángbèi.) He got caught in the rain and looked a total mess.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 见 or 頁 because they look similar to 貝. The right side must be 貝 (simplified 贝), which also gives the sound bèi.
Common words with 狽
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 狼狽 | lángbèi | in a difficult situation; to cut a sorry figure | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 狽
How many strokes are in 狽?
狽 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 狽 mean?
狽 (bèi) means a legendary wolf; distressed, wretched. A common word with it is 狼狈 (lángbèi), meaning "in a difficult situation; to cut a sorry figure".
How do you pronounce 狽?
狽 is pronounced bèi, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 狽?
The radical of 狽 is 犭, which carries the idea of "dog". Dictionaries list 狽 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 狽?
狽 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 狈, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the story behind 狼狈 (lángbèi)?
The legend pairs the 狼 (láng) wolf with the 狈 (bèi), a wolf said to have short front legs. The bèi had to lean on the láng to move, so the pair stumbled awkwardly. That clumsy image became the meaning of being in a sorry state.
What does the idiom 狼狈为奸 mean?
狼狈为奸 (láng bèi wéi jiān) means two people working together to do bad things, like partners in crime. It comes from the same legend of the two wolves depending on each other.