毗 (pí) — (bound form) adjacent, neighboring

Definition

毗 is a bound morpheme meaning 'adjacent / bordering,' almost always appearing in 毗邻 and 毗连. It pairs with 邻 or 连, so don't try to use 毗 on its own as a standalone word.

bound form
adjacentneighboring
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè ge gōng yuán yǔ xué xiào pí lín.
    This park is adjacent to the school.
  • 毗。
    Zhè liǎng kuài tǔ dì shì pí lián de.
    These two plots of land are adjoining.
  • 。
    Gāi guó dōng bù pí lín dà hǎi.
    The eastern part of that country borders the sea.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囟囟xìn
Sound part声符shēngfú
比
比bǐ毗pí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

毗 combines 囟 and 比; 比 gives the sound.

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