How to Write 丕 (pī) — Meaning “great; grand”

Think of 丕 as a pedestal: the top part looks like a stand with a base (the bottom horizontal line), and 'great' things are placed on a pedestal. Alternatively, remember that 丕 is '不' plus an extra '一' (one) line, making it 'not just one but great'.

Write 丕 in this order: first a horizontal line (一), then a left-falling stroke (丿), a vertical line (丨), a dot (丶), and finally a bottom horizontal line (一). A common mistake is forgetting the bottom horizontal or making the dot too low – the dot should sit inside the shape above the final line.

丕 has 5 strokes and ends with a bottom horizontal line, while 万 (3 strokes) has a hooked stroke on the right and no dot inside, and 丈 (3 strokes) ends with a right-falling stroke (捺) instead of a dot. Visually, 丕 looks like a 'box' with a dot, whereas 万 and 丈 are more open.

丕 is mostly found in formal, historical, or literary contexts, such as in the name 曹丕 (Cáo Pī, the ancient emperor Cao Pi) and in words like 丕变 (pī biàn, 'great change') or 丕显 (pī xiǎn, 'illustrious'). It is not used in everyday conversation and does not appear in the HSK vocabulary list.

Common words containing 丕 include: 曹丕 (cáo pī) — Cao Pi (historical figure); 丕变 (pī biàn) — great change; radical transformation; 丕显 (pī xiǎn) — greatly manifest; illustrious.