píng
adjective HSK 2 #2,211

Meanings

  1. 1 flat
  2. 2 level
  3. 3 equal
  4. 4 calm

Examples

HSK 2
Zhè tiáo lù hěn píng.
This road is very flat.
HSK 3
Zhè chǎng bǐsài dǎ píng le.
This match ended in a draw.
HSK 7-9
Shuǐmiàn hěn píngjìng.
The water surface is very calm.

Tips

usage
appears in many compounds: 平安 (safe), 平常 (ordinary), 平时 (usually), 平等 (equal), 平衡 (balance), 和平 (peace).

Components

radical
gān
level pole
The horizontal top stroke plus the central vertical and its connecting line form a -silhouette - Kangxi radical #51, the indexing radical. In ancient the long horizontal was a level surface and the vertical was the central axis; modern indexing slots the character under even though the original etymology is a balance scene, not a pole.
ideograph
two small balancing strokes
Two short slanted strokes flanking the vertical - abstract markers of weights or vapor balanced on either side of the level surface above. The ancient form depicted breath or sound coming out evenly; the dots are the two equal halves. They turn into by adding the 'balanced' meaning.

Stroke Order

píng