璧 (bì): jade annulus (a flat disc of ja…

Measure Word

一块璧 kuài

Meanings

1 jade annulus (a flat disc of jade with a hole in the center)
2 ceremonial jade disc (ancient ritual object)

Characters

璧

bì

ceremonial jade disc with a central hole

Examples

HSK 4

和氏璧是中国历史上最著名的玉璧。

Héshìbì shì Zhōngguó lìshǐ shàng zuì zhùmíng de yùbì.

The He Shi Bi is the most famous jade disc in Chinese history.

HSK 7-9

蔺相如完璧归赵的故事流传千古。

Lìn Xiàngrú wánbì-guīzhào de gùshi liúchuán qiāngǔ.

The story of Lin Xiangru returning the jade intact to the State of Zhao has been passed down for ages.

Tips

history

The most legendary 璧 is 和氏璧, the He Shi Bi - a magnificent jade disc presented to the King of Chu by 卞和. Its story drives the chengyu 完璧归赵 ('return the jade intact to Zhao'): in the Warring States period, the diplomat 蔺相如 tricked the powerful Qin king out of seizing it. Later it was supposedly carved into the Imperial Seal of China.

culture

璧 is one of the 'Six Auspicious Jades' (六瑞) used in Zhou dynasty ritual to communicate with heaven, while the related 玉琮 (cong, a tube) communicated with earth. Excavations of 璧 from elite Neolithic and Bronze Age tombs (Liangzhu, Hongshan) show its ritual importance long predates writing.

Components

radical

玉 yù

jade

Bottom indexing jade radical (Kangxi #96) - three horizontal bars of jade strung together with an added mark. States the material directly. A 璧 is a flat circular jade with a hole in the centre, used in the highest sacrifices: jade for heaven, gold for earth. The classical idiom 完璧归赵 (returning the jade whole to Zhao) preserves the value placed on these discs.

phonetic

辟 pì

open; ruler

Top 辟 supplies the sound - pì shifted to bì, regular labial-stop alternation. 辟 originally pictured a ruler administering justice with knife (辛) and decree (口); the meaning doesn't carry. Same phonetic gives 壁 (wall), 避 (avoid), 僻 (remote), 臂 (arm). A 璧 was a flat ringed jade, a great ritual object of ancient China.