筚

篳

bì

noun #64,178

Meanings

他们筚路蓝缕，白手起家。

Tāmen bìlùlánlǚ, bái shǒu qǐjiā.

They started a business from scratch through hardship and toil.

筚门是贫穷人家的标志。

Bì mén shì pínqióng rénjiā de biāozhì.

A wicker gate marks a poor household.

history

Best known from 筚路蓝缕, from the 左传 (Zuo Commentary): a brushwood cart and ragged clothes, describing the hardship of founding an enterprise.

radical

⺮ zhú

bamboo

The bamboo-cap radical (top form of 竹) shows the material: 筚 is a fence woven from bamboo strips or twigs.

phonetic

毕 bì

to finish; complete

Supplies the reading bì and contributes no meaning, serving only as the sound element under the bamboo cap.

筚 bì