脾

pí

卑 + 月

HSK 3.0Level 7

Definitions

pí (noun) spleen

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 卑 represents the sound.

Semantic: ⺼ Phonetic: 卑

About

The character 脾 combines the flesh radical 月 (a variant of 肉 'meat') on the left, marking it as a body part, with the phonetic 卑 on the right, which also means 'low' or 'inferior'. In traditional Chinese medicine, 脾 refers to the spleen, an organ linked to digestion, fluid balance, and immunity. Figuratively, the character also denotes a person's temper or mood, evident in expressions like 脾气 (temper) and 发脾气 (lose one's temper).

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他脾气很好。

Tā píqi hěn hǎo。

He has a very good temper.

她的脾气有点急躁。

Tā de píqi yǒudiǎn jízào。

Her temper is a bit impatient.

喝茶对脾胃有益。

Hē chá duì píwèi yǒuyì。

Drinking tea is beneficial for the spleen and stomach.

你要控制自己的脾气。

Nǐ yào kòngzhì zìjǐ de píqi。

You need to control your temper.

中医认为脾是重要的消化器官。

Zhōngyī rènwéi pí shì zhòngyào de xiāohuà qìguān。

Traditional Chinese medicine considers the spleen an important digestive organ。

他发脾气时说的话别当真。

Tā fā píqì shí shuō de huà bié dàngzhēn。

Don't take seriously what he says when he loses his temper。

良好的饮食习惯能健脾养胃。

Liánghǎo de yǐnshí xíguàn néng jiàn pí yǎng wèi。

Good eating habits can strengthen the spleen and nourish the stomach.

这个人脾气古怪，很难相处。

Zhège rén píqi gǔguài, hěn nán xiāngchǔ。

This person has a peculiar temper and is very difficult to get along with。

Related Characters

Component: 卑

Component: 月

脾