饼
Character Story & Explanation
饼 is deeply embedded in Chinese food culture — from Mid-Autumn Festival mooncakes (月饼 yuèbǐng) to street-side roasted sesame cakes (烧饼 shāobǐng). It appears in common phrases like ‘画饼充饥’ (huà bǐng chōng jī), an idiom meaning 'drawing a cake to satisfy hunger' — illustrating empty promises, documented since the Han dynasty in texts like the *Book of Han*. Modern usage includes convenience foods like instant rice cakes (米饼 mǐbǐng) and snack packaging labels.
The character evolved from seal script, where the right side 并 suggested layered or pressed ingredients; the food radical 饣 consistently marked edibility. No oracle-bone form survives, but by the Han dynasty, 饼 already referred to baked or steamed flat grain foods — matching archaeological findings of ancient clay ovens and wheat-based cakes in northern China.
Hi students! The character 饼 (bǐng) means 'round flat cake' — think of mooncakes, pancakes, or even savory flatbreads like scallion pancakes. It’s a Level 4 HSK word, so you’ll see it often in food-related contexts, menus, and daily conversation. Though it looks simple, remember its radical 饣 (the ‘food’ radical) tells us right away this character is about edible things — a great clue for guessing meaning!
This character has just 9 strokes, making it manageable for beginners. Its structure is left–right: the food radical 饣 on the left, and 并 (bìng, meaning 'to combine' or 'together') on the right — historically hinting at ingredients being combined into a unified flat shape. Practice writing it slowly, following stroke order: start with the three-stroke food radical, then build the right side step by step.
Don’t confuse 饼 with similar-looking characters like 病 (bìng, 'illness') — they sound alike but differ in radical and meaning. Pronounce it with the third tone: bǐng (like saying 'bing!' but dipping your voice down). Try saying it while imagining biting into a warm, crispy pancake — that mental link helps memory stick!
Example Sentences
Common Compounds
Similar Characters — Don't Mix These Up
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