How to Write 仳 (pǐ) — Meaning “to separate / part”

Imagine a person (亻) who says "peep" (like pǐ) and then turns their back to walk away from a friend — the act of separating. The right side 比 looks like two people leaning away from each other, which helps you recall the meaning "to separate."

First write the 亻 radical: a left-falling stroke, then a vertical stroke — keep it narrow. Then write 比: start with the left side (horizontal, vertical), then the right side (horizontal, vertical). Common mistakes include making 比 too wide or misaligning the two sides; keep them balanced and close together.

仳 has the right part 比 (to compare), while 什 has 十 (ten) and 仁 has 二 (two). Visually, 比 has four strokes and two symmetrical halves, whereas 十 is a single cross and 二 is two horizontal lines. Meaning-wise, 仳 means to separate, 什 is used in words like 什么 (what), and 仁 means kindness or benevolence.

仳 is rare in everyday speech, appearing mainly in formal or literary contexts such as the word 仳离 (pǐ lí), which means to separate or divorce. It appears in classical texts like the Book of Songs, so you might encounter it in historical or poetic readings rather than casual conversation.

Common words containing 仳 include: 仳离 (pǐ lí) — to separate / to divorce; 仳 (pǐ) — to separate / part; 仳别 (pǐ bié) — to part / to bid farewell.