How to Write 悲 (bēi) — Meaning “sad; sorrowful”

Picture a heart (心) crying because everything is wrong (非). The top part 非 looks like two crying eyes with tears streaming down, and the bottom is the heart feeling the sorrow. This visual helps you link the shape to the meaning 'sad'.

Write the top part 非 first, making sure the two sides are balanced with the left slightly smaller. The bottom radical 心 should be wide enough to support the top, with the three dots (left, center, right) evenly spaced. A common mistake is making 心 too narrow or writing the top strokes incorrectly.

悲 means sad and uses 非 over 心, while 㥯 (yǐn) means 'to be careful' or 'sorrowful' and has a different top (yin radical). 恁 (nèn) means 'such' or 'that' and has 任 over 心. Visually, 悲 is more common in everyday words like 悲伤 (sadness), whereas 㥯 and 恁 are rare.

悲 appears in common words like 悲伤 (sad), 悲剧 (tragedy), and 悲观 (pessimistic). It is often used in contexts of deep emotion, literature, or drama, and is a key character for expressing negative feelings. Culturally, 悲 is part of the Chinese concept of 悲欢离合 (joy and sorrow, partings and reunions), reflecting life's emotional ups and downs.

Common words containing 悲 include: 悲伤 (bēi shāng) — sad; sorrowful; 悲剧 (bēi jù) — tragedy; 悲观 (bēi guān) — pessimistic.