How to Write 弁 (biàn) — Meaning “ancient conical cap; preface”

Picture a person wearing a tall pointed hat (the top part 厶) and raising both hands (廾) to adjust it. This image of hands and a hat helps you recall that 弁 means an ancient cap.

Write the top part first: a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal, then a right-falling stroke to form 厶. Then write the two vertical strokes of 廾 from left to right. A common mistake is making the top part too wide or crossing the strokes incorrectly—keep the top compact and the two bottom verticals parallel.

弁 has a complete top structure (厶) above 廾, while 廾 is just two hands without a top part and is only used as a radical. 廿 means twenty and is written with a horizontal line connecting two verticals, whereas 弁 has a clear pointed cap shape on top.

弁 is very rare in modern Chinese and mainly appears in classical or formal words like 弁言 (preface) and 武弁 (military officer). Most learners will not encounter it in daily conversation, but it is useful for understanding historical texts or traditional titles.

Common words containing 弁 include: 弁言 (biàn yán) — preface; foreword; 弁冕 (biàn miǎn) — ancient crown or cap; 武弁 (wǔ biàn) — Military officer (archaic).