壁 (bì) — wall; cliff (bound form used in compounds)
Definition
壁 is a bound form meaning 'wall' or 'cliff' — it only appears inside compounds like 壁画 (mural) or 峭壁 (cliff face). Use 墙 on its own as a standalone noun for 'wall'.
bound form
wallcliff (bound form used in compounds)
Easily confused
- 璧bìlook-alikea round flat piece of jade with a hole in the center, used as a ritual object in ancient China
- 闭bìsound-aliketo close, to shut
- 臂beilook-alikearm (bound form, used in compounds)
- 必bìsound-alikecertainly; must; necessarily; will (expressing necessity or certainty)
- 劈pīlook-aliketo split, to chop, to hack
- 毙bìsound-aliketo die (violently, especially by shooting or execution)
Examples
- 。Zhè jiān fáng jiān de qiáng bì shàng guà zhe hěn duō huà.There are many paintings hanging on the wall of this room.
- 。Bó wù guǎn lǐ de bì huà fēi cháng yǒu yì shù jià zhí.The murals in the museum have great artistic value.
- ，。Zhè zuò shān de qiào bì hěn dǒu, bú shì hé chū xué zhě pān pá.The cliff face of this mountain is very steep and not suitable for beginners to climb.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
壁 combines 土 (earth) and 辟, which gives the sound. The whole means an earthen wall.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.