璧玉

bìyù

noun

Measure Word

一块璧玉 kuài

Meanings

1 fine jade
2 jade disk with a central hole (a 璧)
3 (figurative) person of pure character

Characters

ritual jade disk

Examples

古代王侯常以璧玉为礼。

Gǔdài wánghóu cháng yǐ bìyù wéi lǐ.

Ancient nobles often gave fine jade as ceremonial gifts.

她品行如璧玉一般高洁。

Tā pǐnxíng rú bìyù yībān gāojié.

Her character is as pure and noble as fine jade.

Tips

history

璧 is a flat ring of jade with a central hole, used in Zhou-dynasty ritual to symbolize Heaven (paired with 琮 cóng for Earth). The chengyu 完璧归赵 (wán bì guī Zhào, ‘return the jade to Zhao intact’) refers to the famous He Shi Bi (和氏璧).

Stroke Order

璧 bì

玉 yù