How to Write 裨 (bì) — Meaning “To benefit; to help; small”

Imagine a small (卑) patch sewn onto a piece of clothing (衤) to fix or improve it. This visual of a humble patch bringing benefit to the garment helps link the components to the meanings 'to help' and 'benefit'.

Write the left radical 衤 first (dot, horizontal, left-falling, vertical, and two short strokes), then the right part 卑 (top left-falling, horizontal, horizontal, left-falling, vertical, horizontal, and a long vertical stroke). A common mistake is writing the left radical with too many dots — it has only one dot above the horizontal stroke, not two.

裨 (bì) means 'to benefit' or 'small' and uses phonetic 卑, while 袱 (fú) means 'cloth wrapper' and uses phonetic 伏 (to lie down). 袴 (kù) means 'trousers' and uses phonetic 夸 (to boast). Visually, 裨 has the right part 卑, 袱 has 伏, and 袴 has 夸 — each is a distinct phonetic component.

裨 is not common in daily conversation but appears in formal or written expressions like 裨益 (benefit) and the idiom 大有裨益 (to be of great benefit). It carries a slightly literary tone, often used in contexts discussing advantages or improvements, such as in academic or self-improvement texts.

Common words containing 裨 include: 裨益 (bì yì) — Benefit; advantage; 大有裨益 (dà yǒu bì yì) — To be of great benefit; 裨补 (bì bǔ) — To benefit and supplement.