Definitions

bricks, glazed tiles

Etymology phono-semantic

pottery

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a classical word for fired clay brick, used in ancient construction and paving. A phono-semantic compound, it combines the semantic component ('tile/pottery'), marking it as ceramic or baked earth, with the phonetic (pì). It appears in early texts like the Book of Odes, reflecting ancient masonry. Now obsolete in everyday language, it has been replaced by (zhuān) and survives only in classical, historical, or architectural contexts. It has no simplified form.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Wu (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern