How to Write 丙 (bǐng) — Meaning “Third (in a sequence)”

Imagine the top horizontal line as a hat, and the rest of the character looks like a slanted number '3' with a dot. Since 丙 means 'third', the '3' shape helps you associate it with the third position in a sequence.

Start with the top horizontal stroke (一), then a vertical stroke (丨) downward from its center. Next, draw a horizontal hook (乛) that curves right and down, followed by a left-falling stroke (丿) and a dot (丶) at the bottom. A common mistake is making the hook too large or forgetting the dot.

丙 has a top horizontal bar and a hook shape with a dot inside, while 万 (wàn) is simpler with a horizontal and a curved stroke (no dot), and 丈 (zhàng) has a cross-like shape with a horizontal and two diagonal strokes. Meaning-wise, 丙 means 'third', 万 means 'ten thousand', and 丈 is a unit of length (about 3.3 meters).

丙 is used to indicate the third item in a sequence, such as in grades (丙级, Grade C) or parties in a contract (丙方, the third party). It also appears as the third Heavenly Stem in traditional Chinese culture, associated with the fire element, and is commonly seen in formal classifications like language proficiency levels.

Common words containing 丙 include: 丙级 (bǐng jí) — Grade C / Level 3; 丙方 (bǐng fāng) — The third party (in a contract); 丙等 (bǐng děng) — Grade C.