丕

pī

一 + 不

Definitions

pī grand

Etymology

About

丕 is an ideogrammatic and phonetic compound consisting of the horizontal stroke 一 at the top and the component 不 at the bottom, which serves as the phonetic indicator. In ancient Chinese literature and formal courtly documents, this character was used as an adjective to mean 'great,' 'grand,' or 'vast,' signifying exceptional magnitude. Its use never extended into everyday spoken language; it remained a feature of classical written Chinese. Today, its occurrence is almost entirely limited to historical research, the study of ancient literature, and the transcription of certain historical names, with no active role in contemporary spoken or written Chinese.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他的名字里有丕字。

Tā de míngzì lǐ yǒu pī zì.

His name contains the character "丕".

曹丕是三国时期的人物。

Cáo Pī shì sānguó shíqī de rénwù.

Cao Pi is a figure from the Three Kingdoms period.

他继承了父亲的丕业。

Tā jìchéng le fùqīn de pī yè.

He inherited his father's great enterprise.

他的功绩丕显于世。

Tā de gōngjī pī xiǎn yú shì.

His achievements are very evident to the world.

国家的丕基在于人民。

Guójiā de pī jī zàiyú rénmín.

The great foundation of the country lies in its people.

这项工程是公司发展的丕基。

Zhè xiàng gōngchéng shì gōngsī fāzhǎn de pī jī.

This project is the great foundation for the company's development.

他的贡献丕著于史册。

Tā de gòngxiàn pī zhù yú shǐcè.

His contributions are prominently recorded in history.

在历史上，丕业往往由英明君主开创。

Zài lìshǐ shàng, pī yè wǎngwǎng yóu yīngmíng jūnzhǔ kāichuàng.

In history, great enterprises are often initiated by wise monarchs.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 一

Component: 不

丕