砒 meaning and stroke order
Arsenic
How to write 砒, 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.
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Meaning of 砒
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- arsenic
How 砒 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mineral.
石 gives the meaning and 比 hints at the sound.
Radical: 石 (stone), shared by 114 characters on this site.
How to remember 砒
砒 (pī) pairs 石 (stone, mineral) with 比 (bǐ), which gives the sound. Think of a mineral poison you should never compare 比 with anything you eat.
砒 rarely appears alone in modern Chinese. It almost always shows up in the word 砒霜 (pīshuāng), white arsenic, which is common in historical dramas, detective stories and idioms about poison. Example: 他在酒里下了砒霜。(Tā zài jiǔ lǐ xià le pīshuāng.) He put arsenic in the wine.
Common mistake: Learners often read 砒 as bǐ because of the phonetic 比, but the correct reading is first tone pī. Also do not confuse it with 砌 (qì, to build with bricks), which has the same 石 radical.
Common words with 砒
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 砒霜 | pīshuāng | white arsenic; arsenic trioxide As2O3 |
砒 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 砒
How many strokes are in 砒?
砒 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 砒 mean?
砒 (pī) means arsenic. A common word with it is 砒霜 (pīshuāng), meaning "white arsenic; arsenic trioxide As2O3".
How do you pronounce 砒?
砒 is pronounced pī, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 砒?
The radical of 砒 is 石, which carries the idea of "stone". Dictionaries list 砒 under this radical.
What is the chemistry word for arsenic in Chinese?
In chemistry the element arsenic is 砷 (shēn). 砒 and 砒霜 are the traditional and everyday words for the poison, arsenic trioxide.
Why is it called 砒霜 with the character 霜 (frost)?
霜 (shuāng) means frost, and refined white arsenic is a white powder that looks like frost. The name describes its appearance.