臂

bì

月 + 辟

HSK 2.0Level 6

Definitions

bì (noun) arm

Etymology

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

Semantic: ⺼ Phonetic: 辟

About

臂 is a phono-semantic compound: the flesh radical ⺼ (a variant of 肉, often written as 月) at the bottom indicates a body part, while 辟 (pì, "law, ruler") above provides the sound. The character denotes the human arm, from shoulder to wrist, and also applies to an animal's forelimb. In compound words it extends to mean assistance or a helping hand, drawing on the arm's role in physical labor.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的手臂有点疼。

Wǒ de shǒubì yǒudiǎn téng.

My arm hurts a bit.

他举起手臂打招呼。

Tā jǔqǐ shǒubì dǎ zhāohū.

He raised his arm to greet.

锻炼可以增强臂力。

Duànliàn kěyǐ zēngqiáng bìlì.

Exercise can strengthen arm strength.

她用双臂抱住了孩子。

Tā yòng shuāngbì bàozhùle háizi.

She hugged the child with both arms.

他的臂膀非常强壮。

Tā de bìbǎng fēicháng qiángzhuàng.

His shoulders are very strong.

医生检查了他的左臂。

Yīshēng jiǎnchále tā de zuǒbì.

The doctor examined his left arm.

在比赛中，他展示了惊人的臂力。

Zài bǐsài zhōng, tā zhǎnshìle jīngrén de bìlì.

In the competition, he demonstrated amazing arm strength.

由于长时间工作，他的手臂感到麻木。

Yóuyú cháng shíjiān gōngzuò, tā de shǒbì gǎndào mámù.

Due to long hours of work, his arm feels numb.

Related Characters

Component: 月

Component: 辟

臂