How to Write 郫 (pí) — Meaning “Pi (a place name)”

Imagine the left side 阝 as a city wall and the right side 卑 as a low (卑 means low) building inside that city — picturing a low-lying town like Pi County can help. Another trick: think of "Pi" as a place where the bean paste is low in price.

Start with the left ear radical 阝: write the horizontal stroke, then the vertical, then the two bends. The right part 卑: write the top 白 (a short vertical left, then horizontal, then a short left-falling stroke, then horizontal, then vertical), then the bottom 十 (horizontal then vertical). The whole character should be balanced, with the left ear slightly narrower than the right part, and the right side's lowest stroke aligning with the ear's bottom.

郫 (pí) has the left ear 阝 and right component 卑, while 邾 (zhū) uses left ear with 朱 (zhū) on the right, and 郁 (yù) has the right ear 阝 on the right with a complex left part (有 or 彧). Visually, the right sides are completely different: 郫 uses 卑, 邾 uses 朱, and 郁 uses a different radical. Their meanings also differ — 邾 was an ancient state, 郁 means "gloomy" or "fragrant", and 郫 is solely a place name.

郫 appears primarily in the place name 郫县 (Pí Xiàn, Pi County) in Chengdu, Sichuan, and the newer 郫都区 (Pí Dū Qū, Pidu District). It is most famous for 郫县豆瓣 (Pí Xiàn Dòu Bàn), a spicy fermented bean paste that is a key ingredient in Sichuan cuisine, making the character culturally significant for food lovers.

Common words containing 郫 include: 郫县 (pí xiàn) — Pi County; 郫县豆瓣 (pí xiàn dòu bàn) — Pixian bean paste; 郫都区 (pí dōu qū) — Pidu District.