辟 meaning and stroke order
Law, rule; to open up, to develop
How to write 辟, stroke by stroke
13 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 辟
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to open (a door)
- to open up (for development)
- to dispel; to refute; to repudiate
- (bound form) penetrating; incisive
- penal law
- variant of 闢|辟[pi4]
- (literary) king; monarch
- (literary) (of a sovereign) to summon to official service
- (literary) to avoid (variant of 避[bi4])
- (literary) to repel (variant of 避[bi4])
How 辟 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A body 尸 decapitated 口 by a sword 辛 , representing the law.
Radical: 辛 (bitter), shared by 11 characters on this site.
How to remember 辟
Picture a body 尸 with a cut 口 made by a blade 辛. The etymology hint says this harsh punishment stood for the law, and a blade that cuts can also cut a path open, which links to the meaning "to open up".
In modern Chinese 辟 (pì) mostly appears in set words about opening up new ground or new paths, such as 开辟 (kāipì) and the idiom 开天辟地 (kāitiān-pìdì). It also shows up in 精辟 (jīngpì, incisive) to praise sharp, penetrating ideas. Example: 他们开辟了一条新路线。(Tāmen kāipì le yì tiáo xīn lùxiàn.) They opened up a new route.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 辟 with characters built on it, such as 避 (bì, to avoid), 壁 (bì, wall), 劈 (pī, to split) and 譬 (pì, example). Also watch the tone: in 开辟 it is fourth tone pì, not first tone pī like 劈.
Common words with 辟
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
辟 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 辟
Learning 辟 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 辟
How many strokes are in 辟?
辟 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 辟 mean?
辟 (pì) means law, rule; to open up, to develop. A common word with it is 开辟 (kāipì), meaning "to open up; to create; to establish".
How do you pronounce 辟?
辟 is pronounced pì, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 辟?
The radical of 辟 is 辛, which carries the idea of "bitter". Dictionaries list 辟 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 辟?
The traditional form of 辟 is 闢. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 辟 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 辟 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 辟 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
When is 辟 read bì instead of pì?
The reading bì is literary. It is used for meanings like "king" or "to summon to office", and in old texts as a variant of 避 (bì, to avoid). In everyday modern words like 开辟 it is read pì.
What does 开天辟地 refer to?
It literally means to split heaven and earth apart and comes from the Pangu 盘古 (Pángǔ) creation myth. People use it to describe something unprecedented, the first of its kind in history.