弼

bì
verb #58,579

Meanings

  1. 1 to assist; to aid (a ruler)

Examples

HSK 7-9
他一生辅弼幼主。
Tā yìshēng fǔbì yòu zhǔ.
He devoted his whole life to assisting the young emperor.
HSK 7-9
Liáng bì néng jiù wēi guó.
An able assisting minister can save a nation in peril.

Tips

culture
弼 means to assist a ruler, mostly in 辅弼 (to aid as a high minister). It is famous from 弼马温 - the lowly 'keeper of the heavenly horses' post given to the Monkey King in Journey to the West.

Components

radical
弓 gōng
bow
The bow radical on the left. The character originally pictured a corrective frame strapped to a bow to keep it straight, so the bow shape carries the idea of bracing and supporting.
phonetic
百 bǎi
phonetic and central element
The element in the middle, between the two bows. It anchors the pronunciation toward bì while the flanking bows depict the straightening frame around it.
semantic
弓 gōng
bow
The mirrored bow on the right. Repeating the bow on both sides reinforces the original picture: a brace clamped around a bow to correct it, hence to assist and set right.

Stroke Order

弼 bì