How to Write 婢 (bì) — Meaning “Maidservant; slave girl (archaic)”

Think of the sound "bì" like "bee" — a bee works hard for the queen, just like a maidservant works for her master. The right part 卑 looks like a woman (女) with a heavy burden, reminding you that she has a lowly job.

Write the left radical 女 first with three strokes, making it narrow. The right part 卑 is eight strokes: start with a left-slanting stroke, then vertical, horizontal fold, three horizontals, a vertical, and a final horizontal. A common mistake is making the right part too wide or confusing 卑 with similar components like 早.

婢 (bì) has the right component 卑 (lowly), meaning maidservant. 姘 (pīn) has 并 (together) and means an illicit lover or cohabiting partner. 姚 (yáo) has 兆 (omen) and is a common surname. Visually, 卑 has a flat top (白 shape), while 并 has two verticals, and 兆 has a curved stroke on the right.

婢 is an archaic character rarely used in everyday speech, but it appears in historical novels, period dramas, and classical texts to refer to female servants. The common word 婢女 (bìnǚ) is still understood but sounds literary or formal. Culturally, 婢 reflects the feudal class system where such roles were common.

Common words containing 婢 include: 婢女 (bì nǚ) — Maidservant; 奴婢 (nú bì) — slave girl; female servant; 侍婢 (shì bì) — maidservant.