匕 (bǐ): ladle; spoon (archaic)

Meanings

1 ladle; spoon (archaic)
2 dagger (in compounds like 匕首)

Characters

匕

bǐ

ladle; dagger

Examples

HSK 4

图穷匕见。

Tú qióng bǐ xiàn.

When the map unrolls, the dagger appears - i.e., the true intent is finally exposed.

HSK 7-9

他从怀里掏出一把匕首。

Tā cóng huáilǐ tāo chū yī bǎ bǐshǒu.

He pulled out a dagger from inside his coat.

Tips

history

The 'dagger' meaning came later through the compound 匕首, where the blade is shaped like a spoon's handle.

culture

The chengyu 图穷匕见 refers to the failed assassination of Qin Shi Huang by Jing Ke, who hid a dagger inside a rolled-up map. Today it means a hidden intent finally being revealed.

Components

pictograph

匕 bǐ

ladle; short blade (Kangxi radical #21)

Self-pictograph, depicts a small handled implement, originally a ladle or spoon used at meals, later extended to "short knife, dagger" (匕首). 匕 is itself Kangxi radical #21, indexing 比 (compare), 北 (north, two people back-to-back), 化 (transform). Two strokes only, pedagogically atomic.

Radical

Spoon Kangxi #21

The 匕 radical, originally a pictograph of a long ladle. Indexes a small set of characters built on the curving spoon shape: 北, 化, 旨, 匙. Low productivity in modern coining; mostly relevant for lookup of older or compound forms.