How to Write 圮 (pǐ) — Meaning “To collapse; to fall into ruin”

Imagine a building made of dirt (土) that is so old it finally says 'I collapse' — the right side 己 sounds like 'gee' as in 'gee, I'm falling apart!' This links the earth radical with the feeling of giving way, helping you recall pǐ means collapse.

圮 has 6 strokes: first write the left radical 土 as horizontal, vertical, horizontal; then the right side 己 starting with a horizontal fold (like a horizontal hook), then a short horizontal, and finally a vertical hook (or downward curve). A common mistake is to confuse the shape of 己 with 已 (already) or 巳 (snake); in 圮, the right component has an open top and no horizontal line crossing the middle.

圣 (shèng, meaning 'holy') has the radical 又 (hand) on top and 土 below, whereas 圮 has 土 on the left and 己 on the right. 圤 (pǔ, a rare character meaning 'to break' or 'a mound') is visually similar but its right side is 卜 (divination) instead of 己. So focus on the right component: 己 (self) for 圮, 卜 for 圤, and 圣 has a completely different upper part.

圮 is not a common HSK character and is mostly found in literary or historical texts describing buildings or walls falling into ruin, such as '坍圮' (tān pǐ) in classical descriptions. It carries a sense of decay over time rather than sudden destruction. You might encounter it in essays about ancient ruins or in poetic language to paint a picture of dilapidation.

Common words containing 圮 include: 坍圮 (tān pǐ) — To collapse; to fall into ruin.; 毁圮 (huǐ pǐ) — To collapse; to fall into ruin.; 倾圮 (qīng pǐ) — to collapse; to fall down (of a building).