How to Write 秕 (bǐ) — Meaning “blighted grain”

Imagine a grain plant (禾) that looks shriveled and empty compared to others — you say "compare (比) this grain (禾) to healthy ones and it is bad." The shape of 比 on the right can also remind you of two empty husks side by side.

When writing 秕, make sure the left radical 禾 is narrow and the right part 比 is balanced. The 禾 radical has a horizontal stroke that should be slightly shorter than the top stroke of 比. A common mistake is making the left side too wide or misaligning the two parts of 比 (the two "匕" components should be similar in size).

Unlike 秕 (blighted grain), 秀 (xiù) means elegant or outstanding (as in 优秀) and has 禾 with 乃, while 私 (sī) means private or selfish and has 禾 with 厶. Visually, 秕 uses 比 on the right, 秀 has a curved stroke below, and 私 has a small triangle-like shape. Meaning-wise, 秕 is negative (empty grain), 秀 is positive (excellent), and 私 is about personal vs. public.

秕 is not common in everyday speech but appears in agricultural or literary contexts to describe empty or blighted grain, as in 秕谷 (bǐ gǔ, unfilled grain). It is also used metaphorically in phrases like 秕糠 (bǐ kāng, chaff) to mean worthless or useless things. You might encounter it in classical texts or discussions about crop quality.

Common words containing 秕 include: 秕谷 (bǐ gǔ) — empty grain; 秕子 (bǐ zi) — empty or blighted grain; 秕糠 (bǐ kāng) — chaff.