毙

斃/獘

bì

死 + 比

Definitions

bì to die; to shoot dead; to reject; to fall forward; (suffix) to death

bì to collapse; variant of 斃|毙[bì]; variant of 獙[bì]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 死 represents the meaning and 比 represents the sound. Simplified form of 斃.

Semantic: 死 Phonetic: 比

About

The character 毙 is written in simplified form with the top component 比 above the radical 死 (death), while its traditional counterpart 斃 uses the phonetic component 敝 above the same death radical. The death radical anchors its meaning to dying, and the traditional upper component 敝 also contributed a sense of ruin or decay. Historically, its primary meaning has consistently referred to falling dead or being executed, often with the connotation of a violent, sudden, or disgraceful end rather than natural death.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

警察击毙了歹徒。

Jǐngchá jíbì le dǎitú.

The police shot the criminal dead.

那个凶手被枪毙了。

Nàgè xiōngshǒu bèi qiāngbì le.

That murderer was executed by shooting.

他在事故中毙命。

Tā zài shìgù zhōng bìmìng.

He died in the accident.

军队毙伤了许多敌人。

Jūnduì bìshāng le xǔduō dírén.

The army killed and wounded many enemies.

如果罪犯拒捕，警察可能会击毙他。

Rúguǒ zuìfàn jùbǔ, jǐngchá kěnéng huì jíbì tā.

If the criminal resists arrest, the police might shoot him dead.

警方在交火中击毙了三名恐怖分子。

Jǐngfāng zài jiāohuǒ zhōng jíbì le sān míng kǒngbù fènzǐ.

The police shot dead three terrorists in the firefight.

那只猛兽被猎人击毙，以保障村民安全。

Nà zhī měngshòu bèi lièrén jíbì, yǐ bǎozhàng cūnmín ānquán.

That fierce beast was shot dead by the hunter to ensure the villagers' safety.

由于歹徒持械袭警，警方在警告无效后将其击毙。

Yóuyú dǎitú chí xiè xí jǐng, jǐngfāng zài jǐnggào wúxiào hòu jiāng qí jíbì.

Because the criminal attacked the police with a weapon, the police shot him dead after warnings were ineffective.

Related Characters

Component: 死

Component: 比

毙