被
blanket, passive
At a glance · 被
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 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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
被字小篆从衣皮声，为形声字；本义为被子、覆盖。甲骨文未见。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
被本义为寝被、覆盖，亦作被动助词。
Structure
形声字，左部『衣』为意符，右部『皮』为声符。
At a glance
Pinyinbèi
Radical衤
Strokes11
UnicodeU+88AB
Character type形声
Theme器物
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
blanket, passive
Bei is a phonetic-semantic character meaning a quilt and to cover, also the passive marker.
Français
couverture, passif
Bei est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant couverture et couvrir, aussi le passif.
Español
manta, pasivo
Bei es un carácter fonosemántico que significa manta y cubrir, también el pasivo.
العربية
غطاء، مبني للمجهول
بей حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الغطاء والتغطية، وكذا علامة المبني للمجهول.
Русский
одеяло, пассив
Бэй — фоносемантический знак, означающий одеяло и покрывать, также пассивный залог.
Common words
- 被子bèi ziquilt
- 被动bèi dòngpassive