秘 (bì) — (surname) a Chinese family name
Definition
Here 秘 (Bì) is used only as a Chinese surname — pronounced 4th tone, not the 4th/1st-tone 秘密/秘书 readings learners usually meet.
noun
(surname) a Chinese family name
Easily confused
- 泌bìlook-alike(in place names) used in 泌阳 (Bìyáng, a county in Henan)
- 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
Examples
- 秘，。Tā xìng bì, shì zhōng guó rén.He has the surname Bi and is Chinese.
- 秘。bì Xiān sheng shì wǒ men gōng sī de jīng lǐ.Mr. Bi is our company's manager.
- 秘？Qǐng wèn nín shì bì xiǎo jiě ma?May I ask if you are Miss Bi?
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.
The 必 part gives 秘 its sound. The 禾 side replaced an older ritual marker, linking it to secret rituals and arcane meaning.
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