How to Write 抃 (biàn) — Meaning “to clap hands”

Imagine your hand (扌) giving a high five to someone wearing a hat that looks like the top part of 卞, and the motion makes a clapping sound. The shape of 卞 resembles a person with arms raised, ready to clap. This visual connects the hand radical to the clapping action.

Pay attention to the stroke order: the left radical 扌 is written with three strokes (horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then the right part 卞 has four strokes (dot, horizontal, vertical, dot). A common mistake is making the right part too wide or confusing the final dot with a second horizontal stroke. Keep the proportions balanced so the left side is slightly narrower than the right.

抃 specifically means to clap hands, while 㧜 (a rare character) means to pull or draw, and 扑 means to pat or slap. Visually, 抃 has the right component 卞, whereas 扑 uses 卜 (bǔ) on the right. The strokes and meanings are distinct, so look at the right side to tell them apart.

抃 is very rare in modern Chinese, mostly appearing in classical texts or formal expressions like 抃舞 (to clap and dance) to describe joyful celebration. It is not used in everyday speech, but you may encounter it in poetry or historical writing. The character carries a positive, festive feeling associated with happiness and applause.

Common words containing 抃 include: 抃舞 (biàn wǔ) — to clap hands and dance; 抃笑 (biàn xiào) — to clap hands and laugh; 欢抃 (huān biàn) — Clapping hands with joy.