How to Write 碧 (bì) — Meaning “Green / Jade / Bluish-green”

Imagine a king (王) wearing a white (白) crown, standing on a stone (石) that glows with a beautiful green color. The visual of a royal figure on a green stone helps link the components to the meaning of bluish-green jade. This mnemonic makes the character easy to recall.

Write the top part from left to right: first the 王 (three horizontals and a vertical), then the 白 (five strokes starting with a left vertical). Ensure the 王 and 白 are balanced in width, and the bottom 石 is centered under them. A common mistake is making the 王 too wide, which makes the character look lopsided.

碧 has the top components 王 and 白 above the radical 石, while 硝 has 石 on the left and 肖 on the right, meaning 'saltpeter.' 硪 has 石 on the left and 我 on the right, meaning a 'stone roller.' The visual difference is that 碧 is top-heavy with jade and white, whereas the others are left-right structures.

碧 is commonly used in descriptive words like 碧绿 (dark green) and 碧蓝 (azure), often for natural scenes such as clear water or sky. It appears in classical poetry and idioms, like '碧玉' (green jade), and carries a poetic, elegant tone. Though not in HSK, it is familiar from literature and nature descriptions.

Common words containing 碧 include: 碧绿 (bì lǜ) — Dark green / Emerald green; 碧玉 (bì yù) — Jasper / Green jade; 碧蓝 (bì lán) — Azure / Sky blue.