verb #6,537

Meanings

  1. 1 to finish; to complete
  2. 2 whole; entire; fully

Examples

Tā qùnián dàxué bìyè le.
She graduated from university last year.
Bìjìng tā háishì gè háizi.
After all, he is still a child.

Tips

usage
毕业 (bìyè) = to graduate, 毕竟 (bìjìng) = after all. implies completion or totality.

Components

radical
compare; two side-by-side figures
The radical on top supplies both the sound (bǐ shifted to bì) and the dictionary index. Originally had (field) under — picturing a long-handled net used in field hunting. The simplified keeps the phonetic cap but trims the bottom.
ideograph
shí
ten; net-handle shape
Bottom cross-stroke functions as a positional marker beneath the phonetic, anchoring the silhouette and completing the 'finish' meaning. Not the numeral ten despite the shape. Historically a stylized residue of an older net-and-handle element fused beyond clean decomposition.

Stroke Order