碧 (bì) — (bound form) bluish-green, emerald green
Definition
A literary, bound-form color word meaning 'jade-green / bluish-green' — always combines with another character (e.g. 碧绿, 碧空, 碧玉). Not used alone in modern speech; prefer 绿 or 蓝 for everyday 'green' and 'blue'.
bound form
bluish-greenemerald green
Easily confused
- 闭bìsound-aliketo close, to shut
- 必bìsound-alikecertainly; must; necessarily; will (expressing necessity or certainty)
- 毙bìsound-aliketo die (violently, especially by shooting or execution)
- 避bìsound-aliketo avoid; to evade; to keep away from; to shun
- 毕bìsound-alike(bound form) to finish, to complete
- 秘bìsound-alike(surname) a Chinese family name
Examples
- ，。Chūn tiān dào le, shān shàng yí piàn bì lǜ.Spring has arrived, and the mountains are a stretch of emerald green.
- ，碧，。Zài gāo yuán shàng, bì kōng rú xǐ, lìng rén xīn kuàng shén yí.On the plateau, the blue sky is as clear as if washed, refreshing the mind and spirit.
- 碧。Tā dài zhe yì zhī bì yù shǒu zhuó.She is wearing a jade bracelet.
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.
碧 combines 王 (jade, written fully as 玉) and 石 (stone), with 白 giving the sound.
Appears in
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