鼻

bí

畀 + 自

Definitions

bí (noun) nose

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 自 is a pictograph of a nose and 畀 represents the sound.

Semantic: 自 Phonetic: 畀

About

The character 鼻 is a phono-semantic compound: the upper component 自 was originally a pictograph of a nose, and the lower component 畀 indicates the pronunciation. 自 later shifted to mean "self", possibly from the gesture of pointing to one's nose. To restore the original anatomical meaning, the phonetic 畀 was added below 自, forming 鼻, which now denotes the nose for breathing and smelling, and also the starting point of something.

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我的鼻子很痒。

Wǒ de bízi hěn yǎng.

My nose is very itchy.

他揉了揉鼻子。

Tā róu le róu bízi.

He rubbed his nose.

感冒时鼻子不通。

Gǎnmào shí bízi bù tōng.

When having a cold, the nose is blocked.

医生检查了他的鼻子。

Yīshēng jiǎnchá le tā de bízi.

The doctor examined his nose.

她的鼻梁挺直很漂亮。

Tā de bíliáng tǐngzhí hěn piàoliang.

Her nose bridge is straight and very beautiful.

鼻炎让他经常打喷嚏。

Bíyán ràng tā jīngcháng dǎ pēntì.

Rhinitis makes him sneeze frequently.

他说话带有浓重的鼻音。

Tā shuōhuà dài yǒu nóngzhòng de bíyīn.

He speaks with a heavy nasal sound.

嗅觉主要依靠鼻子内的感受器。

Xiùjué zhǔyào yīkào bízi nèi de gǎnshòu qì.

The sense of smell mainly relies on receptors inside the nose.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 畀

Component: 自

鼻