About
裨 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 衤 (yī, clothing) on the left and the phonetic component 卑 (bēi) on the right. It has two pronunciations and meanings. Pronounced "pí", it refers to a secondary garment, accessory, or clothing patch. Pronounced "bì", it abstractly means benefit or to supplement, likely evolving from the idea of patching to improve something. This latter sense is common in formal words like 裨益 (bìyì), meaning to benefit.
Etymology Hide
