How to Write 擗 (pǐ) — Meaning “to break off; to split open”

Imagine using your hand (扌) to pry open a closed coconut — the right side 辟 looks like a person using both arms to force something apart. This visual of hands breaking open a hard object helps link the shape to the meaning "to break off or split open."

The left side 扌 (hand radical) is written first with a vertical hook stroke, and it should be narrow to leave room for the right side. The right side 辟 has 13 strokes; note the top part 尸 (corpse) is compact, and the bottom 辛 (spicy) has a long vertical stroke down the middle. A common mistake is making the 扌 too wide or forgetting the hook at the bottom of the vertical stroke.

擗 (pǐ) means to break off or split open, while 摔 (shuāi) means to throw down or fall, and 摘 (zhāi) means to pick or pluck. Visually, 摔 has the hand radical plus 率 (rate), and 摘 has 啇 (bottom part of 商); 擗 uses 辟 on the right. In usage, you 擗 corn (break off cobs), 摘 flowers (pick), and 摔 a vase (throw).

擗 is commonly used in rural or agricultural settings, such as 擗玉米 (breaking off corn cobs) or 擗开 (splitting open a nut by hand). It is not a frequent character in everyday speech and is more typical of northern Chinese dialects. The character emphasizes a manual, forceful action, often associated with harvesting or preparing food.

Common words containing 擗 include: 擗开 (pǐ kāi) — to break open; to split apart; 擗玉米 (pǐ yù mǐ) — to pick corn; to break off corn cobs; 擗断 (pǐ duàn) — to break off.