How to Write 觱 (bì) — Meaning “ancient flute; cold wind”

Imagine a cold wind (the meaning) blowing through a curved horn (角) shaped like a bow (弻). The bow's curve and the horn together create a flute that whistles in the icy breeze, linking the sound of "bì" to the image of a biting wind.

The left side (角) has 7 strokes; ensure the bottom hook (⺈) is clear and not confused with a small '月'. The right side (弻) contains a 弓 (bow) radical inside; the top horizontal stroke of 弻 should be slightly shorter than the bottom one to maintain balance. A common mistake is writing the right side as 弻 with an extra stroke—it has exactly 9 strokes.

觱 (bì) means "ancient flute" or "cold wind," while 觫 (sù) means "fearful" or "trembling" (as in 觳觫), and 觯 (zhì) refers to a type of ancient wine vessel. Visually, 觱 has a 弻 component on the right, 觫 has 束 (bundle) on the right, and 觯 has 单 (single) on the right. Their meanings are unrelated despite sharing the 角 radical.

觱 is rare in modern Chinese, appearing mostly in classical literature or historical contexts. The common word 觱篥 refers to a double-reed instrument from ancient China, similar to a modern suona. You might encounter 觱 in poetry describing cold winds or bubbling springs, as in 觱发 and 觱沸.

Common words containing 觱 include: 觱篥 (bì lì) — bili (ancient double-reed instrument); 觱发 (bì fā) — chilly wind; biting cold; 觱沸 (bì fèi) — bubbling up (of a spring).