noun #21,443

Meanings

  1. 1 disadvantage
  2. 2 harm
  3. 3 fraud
  4. 4 malpractice
  5. 5 defeat

Examples

HSK 6
Zhège zhèngcè lì dàyú bì.
This policy has more advantages than disadvantages.
HSK 6
Wǒmen yīnggāi fēnxī měigè fāng'àn de lì yǔ bì.
We should analyze the pros and cons of each option.
HSK 7-9
Tā lìyòng zhíwù zhī biàn yíngsī wǔbì.
He abused his position to engage in fraud for personal gain.

Tips

usage
typically appears in compound words: 利弊 (pros and cons), 舞弊 (fraud), 作弊 (to cheat). As a standalone character it has a classical feel and is more common in written or formal Chinese.
memory
Think of as covering something up ( hands at the bottom, meaning worn-out on top) - something worn and hidden, like a fraud.

Components

radical
gǒng
two hands joined
Bottom shows two hands held up - the indexing radical. Added to it suggests hands lifting up or presenting the defect; some readings interpret it as 'holding aloft the worn-out cloth'. In modern use names disadvantage, fraud, the bad side of something - 利弊 'pros and cons'.
phonetic
worn out; my humble (self-effacing prefix)
Top supplies the sound and most of the meaning: bì to bì (exact match). originally pictured a cloth being beaten ragged - 'worn out, defective, broken-down'. From that, inherited the sense of defect, harm, malpractice, the rot inside a system.

Stroke Order