筆 meaning and stroke order
Pen, pencil, writing brush; to compose, to write; Hanzi stroke
How to write 筆, stroke by stroke
12 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 筆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- writing brush; writing implement (pen, pencil etc) (CL:支[zhi1],枝[zhi1])
- brushstroke; stroke (in painting or calligraphy)
- (bound form) style of writing; literary manner; technique of brushwork
- (classifier) stroke of a Chinese character
- (classifier) sum of money; financial transaction; piece of business
- (literary) to write (with a brush or pen)
How 筆 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A bamboo rod ⺮ used as a pencil 聿.
Radical: ⺮ (bamboo), shared by 149 characters on this site.
How to remember 筆
The top part ⺮ is bamboo, and the bottom 聿 shows a hand holding a writing tool. Put them together and you get a bamboo-handled brush: 筆 (bǐ), a pen.
筆 is the traditional form; mainland China writes it 笔. It appears in many words for writing tools, like 鉛筆 (qiānbǐ, pencil) and 毛筆 (máobǐ, writing brush), and it also works as a classifier for sums of money or strokes of a character. Example: 我借你一支筆。(Wǒ jiè nǐ yī zhī bǐ.) I'll lend you a pen.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 筆 with 律 (lǜ, law) or 書 (shū, book), which also contain 聿. Remember that only 筆 has the bamboo ⺮ on top. Also, the measure word for a pen is 支 (zhī), not 個 (gè).
Common words with 筆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 筆記 | bǐjì | to take down (in writing); notes | HSK 2 |
| 筆記本 | bǐjìběn | notebook (stationery) (CL:本[ben3]); (computing) laptop; notebook (abbr. for 筆記本電腦|笔记本电脑[bi | HSK 2 |
| 鋼筆 | gāngbǐ | fountain pen | HSK 5 |
| 毛筆 | máobǐ | writing brush | HSK 5 |
| 鉛筆 | qiānbǐ | (lead) pencil | HSK 6 |
| 筆試 | bǐshì | written examination; paper test (for an applicant) | HSK 6 |
| 圓珠筆 | yuánzhūbǐ | ballpoint pen | HSK 6 |
| 大筆 | dàbǐ | (formal) (honorific) your writing; your handwriting; pen; calligraphy brush | HSK 7-9 |
| 筆跡 | bǐjì | handwriting | |
| 筆錄 | bǐlù | to put down in writing; to take down notes | |
| 筆直 | bǐzhí | perfectly straight; straight as a ramrod | |
| 一筆勾銷 | yībǐgōuxiāo | to write off at one stroke | |
| 粉筆 | fěnbǐ | chalk | |
| 蠟筆 | làbǐ | crayon (wax type) |
Questions about 筆
How many strokes are in 筆?
筆 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 筆 mean?
筆 (bǐ) means pen, pencil, writing brush; to compose, to write; Hanzi stroke. A common word with it is 笔记 (bǐjì), meaning "to take down (in writing); notes".
How do you pronounce 筆?
筆 is pronounced bǐ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 筆?
The radical of 筆 is ⺮, which carries the idea of "bamboo". Dictionaries list 筆 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 筆?
筆 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 笔, used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do you use 筆 as a measure word for money?
Use it for a sum of money or a transaction, as in 一筆錢 (yī bǐ qián, a sum of money) or 一筆生意 (yī bǐ shēngyi, a business deal). It sounds natural in both speech and writing.
Why does 筆記本 mean both notebook and laptop?
筆記本 (bǐjìběn) first meant a paper notebook. It is also short for 筆記本電腦 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo), a notebook computer, so context tells you which one is meant.