逼 (bī) · to force; to compel; to pressure

Meanings

1 to force; to compel; to pressure
2 to press close to; to approach

Characters

逼

bī

to force; to compel; to press

Examples

HSK 2

别逼我！

Bié bī wǒ!

Don't force me!

HSK 3

他被逼得没有办法了。

Tā bèi bī de méiyǒu bànfǎ le.

He was forced into a corner with no way out.

HSK 4

父母逼他学钢琴。

Fùmǔ bī tā xué gāngqín.

His parents forced him to learn piano.

Tips

usage

逼 is very common in spoken Chinese. 被逼的 means 'was forced/had no choice.' 逼真 (bīzhēn) means 'lifelike/realistic' - a different usage where 逼 means 'approaching (reality).'

Components

radical

辶 chuò

walk; movement

辶 is the walking radical (side-form of 辵), wrapping the bottom-left and always written last. It carries the original sense of 'pressing close, approaching' - to compel someone is to physically move in on them. Same radical in 进 advance, 追 chase, 迫 force.

phonetic

畐 fú

full vessel; brimming

Inner 畐 supplies the sound: fú drifted to bī through an Old Chinese stop-consonant alternation also seen in 福 fú (blessing) and 富 fù (rich). Originally a picture of a brimming wine jar - the 'full' sense is dormant here, leaving 畐 as a near-pure phonetic anchor.