How to Write 痺 (bì) — Meaning “numbness; paralysis”

Imagine a person lying down sick (疒) and feeling 'low' (卑) because their body is numb and they cannot move. The word 'low' (卑) can remind you that the body's functions have sunk to a low, inactive state.

The left radical 疒 must be written with the dot on top before the horizontal stroke, and the enclosure is created by the vertical and left-falling strokes. The right part 卑 has eight strokes: first write the 白 (white) component, then add the 十 (ten) on top, but be careful not to mix the stroke order — the 十 comes after the 白.

痺 means numbness or paralysis, 疵 (cī) means a flaw or mole on the skin, and 痊 (quán) means to fully recover from illness. Visually, 痺 uses 卑 on the right, 疵 uses 此, and 痊 uses 全, so they look distinct even though all share the 疒 radical.

痺 appears in medical terms like 麻痺 (má bì, paralysis or numbness) and in traditional Chinese medicine diagnoses such as 痺症 (bì zhèng, painful obstruction syndrome). It is not common in daily conversation but is important for discussing numbness-related health issues.

Common words containing 痺 include: 麻痺 (má bì) — paralysis / numbness; 痺症 (bì zhèng) — Bi syndrome; 痺痛 (bì tòng) — pain from Bi syndrome.