笔 meaning in English
writing brush; writing implement (pen, pencil etc) (CL:支[zhi1],枝[zhi1]); brushstroke; stroke (in painting or calligraphy)
Meaning of 笔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- 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 to use 笔
笔 means any writing tool, and it appears in words like 铅笔 (qiānbǐ, pencil), 钢笔 (gāngbǐ, fountain pen) and 毛笔 (máobǐ, brush). It is also a measure word for sums of money or business deals, as in 一笔钱 (yì bǐ qián, a sum of money). Example: 你有笔吗？ (Nǐ yǒu bǐ ma?) Do you have a pen?
笔 is bamboo ⺮ on top of 毛 (máo, hair or fur). A traditional writing brush is exactly that: a bamboo handle with a tuft of animal hair at the tip.
Common mistake: Learners often write the bottom as 手 or 乇 instead of 毛, but the bottom part is 毛 with its final hook curving right. When counting pens, use 支 (zhī), as in 一支笔, not 个 or 本.
笔 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
笔 bǐ · writing brush · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 笔.
| 笔记 | bǐjì | to take down (in writing); notes |
| 笔记本 | bǐjìběn | notebook (stationery) (CL:本[ben3]); (computing) laptop; notebook (abbr. for 筆記本電腦|笔记本电脑[bi |
| 钢笔 | gāngbǐ | fountain pen |
| 毛笔 | máobǐ | writing brush |
| 铅笔 | qiānbǐ | (lead) pencil |
| 笔试 | bǐshì | written examination; paper test (for an applicant) |
| 圆珠笔 | yuánzhūbǐ | ballpoint pen |
| 大笔 | dàbǐ | (formal) (honorific) your writing; your handwriting; pen; calligraphy brush |
| 笔迹 | bǐjì | handwriting |
| 笔录 | bǐlù | to put down in writing; to take down notes |
| 笔直 | bǐzhí | perfectly straight; straight as a ramrod |
| 一笔勾销 | yībǐgōuxiāo | to write off at one stroke |
Questions about 笔
What does 笔 mean?
笔 (bǐ) means "writing brush; writing implement (pen, pencil etc) (CL:支[zhi1],枝[zhi1]); brushstroke; stroke (in painting or calligraphy)" and is used as a noun and measure word.
How do you write 笔?
笔 is made of 1 character: 笔 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 笔 an HSK word?
Yes. 笔 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 笔 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 笔 is written 筆.
What does 笔记本 mean, a notebook or a laptop?
Both. 笔记本 (bǐjìběn) is a paper notebook, and in tech contexts it is short for 笔记本电脑 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo), a laptop. Context usually makes it clear.
How is 笔 used to count strokes in a character?
笔 can count strokes, so 这个字有几笔？ (Zhège zì yǒu jǐ bǐ?) means How many strokes does this character have? The word 笔画 (bǐhuà) means stroke or stroke order.