边

邊

biān, bian

力 + 辶

HSK 3.0Level 1

Definitions

biān (noun) side; edge; border; boundary

biān (adverb) simultaneously

bian (particle) suffix indicating location

Etymology

Simplified form of 邊. Phonosemantic compound. 辶 and 方 represent the meaning, while 自 and 丙 represent the sound. The traditional components 自 and 丙 were removed for simplification.

Semantic: 辶 Phonetic: 臱

About

边 is the simplified form of the traditional character 邊, originally a phonosemantic compound. The components 辶 (movement) and 方 (side, direction) conveyed the meaning of a border or edge, while 自 and 丙 indicated the sound. In simplification, these sound elements were removed, resulting in the modern 边. The character first referred to the distant frontiers and border regions of a country, implying travel to remote limits. Its meaning later broadened from national boundaries to include the edges, sides, or margins of any object, place, or abstract boundary.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我坐在湖边。

Wǒ zuò zài hú biān.

I am sitting by the lake.

他一边唱歌一边跳舞。

Tā yībiān chànggē yībiān tiàowǔ.

He is singing while dancing.

我家就在学校旁边。

Wǒ jiā jiù zài xuéxiào pángbiān.

My home is right next to the school.

妈妈在厨房里边做饭边听广播。

Māma zài chúfáng lǐ biān zuòfàn biān tīng guǎngbō.

Mom is cooking while listening to the radio in the kitchen.

汽车缓缓地停在了路边。

Qìchē huǎnhuǎn de tíng zài le lù biān.

The car slowly pulled over to the side of the road.

站在历史的角度看问题，你会发现事情的另一边。

Zhàn zài lìshǐ de jiǎodù kàn wèn tí, nǐ huì fāxiàn shìqing de lìng yī biān.

Looking at the problem from a historical perspective, you will discover the other side of the matter.

为了安全，请不要在高压电线附近玩耍。

Wèile ānquán, qǐng bùyào zài gāoyā diànxiàn fùjìn wánshuǎ.

For safety, please do not play near high-voltage power lines.

沿着这条小路往前走，你很快就能看到村子的边界。

Yánzhe zhè tiáo xiǎolù wǎng qián zǒu, nǐ hěn kuài jiù néng kàn dào cūnzi de biānjiè.

Follow this path forward, and you will soon see the village's boundary.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 力

Component: 辶

Example Words