How to Write 毖 (bì) — Meaning “To caution; to guard against”

Think of the phrase 'You must (必) compare (比) to be cautious.' Visualize two people (比) who must (必) watch out for mistakes, like guards learning from the past. The common idiom 惩前毖后 (learn from past to avoid future) also helps lock in the meaning.

Stroke order: first write the top 比 (4 strokes: horizontal, vertical, left-falling, vertical curve), then the bottom 必 (5 strokes: dot, horizontal curved hook, dot, left-falling, dot). A common mistake is making the top too wide or incorrectly writing the curved hook in 必. Keep the character balanced and compact.

毖 has 比 on top and 必 below, a top-bottom structure. 毗 (pí) has 田 (field) on the left and 比 on the right, a left-right structure meaning 'adjacent'. 㲋 (chuò, rare) looks different with a top like 兔 without the dot. Focus on the arrangement of components to tell them apart.

毖 is not common in daily conversation but appears in formal or literary contexts, mostly in the idiom 惩前毖后 (learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones). It can also be used in the word 毖慎 (cautious and prudent). This idiom has cultural importance, often quoted in speeches or essays about self-improvement and policy.

Common words containing 毖 include: 惩前毖后 (chéng qián bì hòu) — learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones; 毖慎 (bì shèn) — Cautious and prudent; 毖涌 (bì yǒng) — Gushing out (of water).