比

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 比 (bǐ) is composed of two parts: the radical 攵 (pū) and the phonetic component 皮 (pí). The radical 攵 originally meant "to strike" or "to beat", and it is often used in characters related to hitting or comparing. The phonetic component 皮 (pí) originally meant "skin" or "leather", and it is often used in characters related to covering or wrapping.When these two components are combined, the character 比 (bǐ) takes on the meaning of "to compare" or "to contrast". This is because comparing two things involves striking them against each other, or putting them side by side to see how they differ. The character 比 (bǐ) can also be used to mean "to compete" or "to rival", as these activities also involve comparing oneself to others.In addition to its literal meaning, the character 比 (bǐ) can also be used in a more figurative sense. For example, it can be used to mean "to resemble" or "to be similar to", as in the phrase "他比我高" (tā bǐ wǒ gāo, "he is taller than me"). It can also be used to mean "to be proportional to" or "to be in proportion", as in the phrase "这个价格比质量好" (zhè ge jiàgé bǐ zhìliàng hǎo, "this price is good compared to the quality").Overall, the character 比 (bǐ) is a versatile character with a rich history and a variety of meanings. It is an important character to learn for HSK learners, as it is used in a wide range of contexts.