笔 bǐ — pen; brush · English

笔

bǐ

pen; brush

At a glance · 笔

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

繁体「筆」从竹从聿，象以竹管毛笔书写，本义为笔。简体「笔」从竹从毛（毛笔）。会意。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为书写绘画之具。

Structure

会意字，从竹从毛，表竹管毛笔。

At a glance

Pinyinbǐ

Radical毛

Strokes10

UnicodeU+7B14

Character type会意

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English pen; brush A pen or writing brush.

Français pinceau; stylo Un pinceau ou un stylo.

Español pincel; pluma Un pincel o pluma.

العربية قلم؛ فرشاة قلم أو فرشاة كتابة.

Русский кисть; ручка Кисть или ручка для письма.

Common words

笔bǐpen
毛笔máo bǐbrush

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