How to Write 皆 (jiē) — Meaning “all / both / every”

Think of a group of people (比) all wearing white (白) clothes — they are 'all' the same. This image helps you link the components 白 and 比 to the meaning of 'all' or 'everyone'.

Start with the top part 白 (5 strokes: left-falling, vertical, horizontal fold, horizontal, horizontal). Then write the bottom 比 (4 strokes: first left component as left-falling and vertical hook, then the same for the right component). A common mistake is making the bottom 比 too wide — keep it balanced under the top 白.

The bottom part differs: 皆 has 比 (two people), 皂 has 七 (seven), and 皃 has 儿 (child). Visually, 皂 means 'soap' or 'black', 皃 means 'appearance', while 皆 means 'all'. Remember: 皆 has two '匕' shapes side by side, unlike the others.

The character 皆 is used in formal or written Chinese, often in idioms like 皆大欢喜 (everyone is happy) and 人尽皆知 (known to everyone). It is not common in daily conversation — instead, the word 都 is used for 'all'. A cultural note: 皆大欢喜 is often said during celebrations to express collective joy.

Common words containing 皆 include: 皆大欢喜 (jiē dà huān xǐ) — everyone is happy / to everyone's satisfaction; 人尽皆知 (rén jǐn jiē zhī) — known to everyone; well-known; 皆可 (jiē kě) — all are acceptable / all are possible.