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adjective

Meanings

  1. 1 subordinate
  2. 2 secondary
  3. 3 minor

Examples

Gǔdài jiāngjūn shǒuxià de fùjiàng jiào pí jiàng.
In ancient times the junior officers under a general were called pí generals.
Piānpí men dài bīng zhīyuán zhǔlì.
The minor officers led their troops to support the main force.

Tips

history
In the pí reading, means 'subordinate' and appears in military terms like 裨将 ('lieutenant general') and 偏裨 ('junior officers'). It also serves as the rare surname Pí.

Components

radical
clothing
is the left-side form of the clothing radical . The character originally meant a ceremonial robe; the 'mending a garment' image extended to 'to supplement, to benefit'.
phonetic
bēi
low; humble
('low, humble') provides the sound for both readings, bì and pí, and its 'lesser, secondary' sense surfaces in the pí 'subordinate' meaning.

Stroke Order