How to Write 摒 (bǐng) — Meaning “to discard; to get rid of”

Imagine using your hand (扌) to push a screen (屏) out of your way because you want to discard it. The screen blocks your view, so you get rid of it—this visual action directly links the components to the meaning 'to discard'.

Pay attention to the stroke order: the left radical 扌 is written first (horizontal, vertical hook, lift), then the right part 屏 starts with its top-left stroke. A common mistake is making the right part too wide—keep the whole character balanced, with the right side slightly narrower than the left. The final stroke is a vertical hook inside the lower component.

Both 挨 (āi, to suffer or to be next to) and 挫 (cuò, to defeat or to frustrate) have the hand radical but differ in the right-side component. 挨 uses 矣 (a phonetic) and implies pressing or enduring, while 挫 uses 坐 (zuò) and means to break or subdue. In contrast, 摒 specifically means to discard or eliminate things like ideas or habits, not physical contact or defeat.

摒 is a formal, literary character mainly found in written Chinese, especially in terms like 摒弃 (to abandon outdated ideas) and 摒除 (to eliminate obstacles). It is not common in casual speech but appears in news, essays, or self-improvement contexts, carrying a sense of determined removal—for example, '摒弃旧观念' (discard old concepts).

Common words containing 摒 include: 摒弃 (bǐng qì) — to abandon; to discard (ideas or habits); 摒除 (bǐng chú) — to get rid of; to eliminate; 摒绝 (bǐng jué) — to renounce; to eliminate completely.