How to Write 霹 (pī) — Meaning “Thunderclap”

Picture a sudden thunderclap that makes you shout "Pī!" and run away (辟) from the rain (雨). Imagine lightning striking a cloud with a loud "PI!" sound, and the cloud itself is the 雨 on top.

The top 雨 must be wide enough to cover the bottom 辟. A common mistake is making 雨 too narrow or forgetting the small horizontal stroke inside it. The bottom part 辟 has 11 strokes, so write it carefully from left (尸) to right (辛).

While 霪 means heavy, long-lasting rain and 霭 means mist or haze, 霹 specifically means a thunderclap. Visually, 霹 has 辟 at the bottom, while 霪 has 淫 and 霭 has 曷. They share the 雨 radical but describe very different weather conditions.

霹 appears in the word 霹雳 (thunderbolt) and 霹雳舞 (breakdancing, literally 'thunderbolt dance'). The phrase 晴天霹雳 means 'a bolt from the blue' — a sudden, shocking event. It is not a common standalone character, but it's culturally important.

Common words containing 霹 include: 霹雳 (pī lì) — Thunderbolt; 霹雳舞 (pī lì wǔ) — Breakdancing; 晴天霹雳 (qíng tiān pī lì) — A bolt from the blue / A sudden shock.