How to Write 赑 (bì) — Meaning “strong; robust”

Picture a mythical turtle called Bixi (赑屃) carrying three heavy treasures (贝 shells) on its back, showing its great strength. The three 贝 stacked together visually remind you of the creature and the idea of robustness.

Write each 贝 component with the standard stroke order: vertical stroke, horizontal fold, left vertical, then horizontal and bottom vertical. The top two 贝 should be slightly narrower and a bit smaller than the bottom one to create a balanced square shape, and a common mistake is making all three the same size.

赑 has three 贝 stacked vertically, while 賏 has two 贝 side by side (meaning 'necklace') and 贼 has 贝 plus the radical 则 on the left (meaning 'thief'). 赑 is very rare and literary, whereas 贼 is common in modern Chinese.

Today, 赑 almost never appears alone; it is mainly found in the term 赑屃, the name of a stone turtle that holds up memorial tablets in Chinese temples. This mythical creature represents endurance and strength, so the character carries strong cultural associations with ancient architecture and mythology.

Common words containing 赑 include: 赑屃 (bì xì) — Bixi (a mythical turtle-like creature); 赑怒 (bì nù) — great anger; fury (literary); 赑风 (bì fēng) — strong wind; gale (literary).