How to Write 骈 (pián) — Meaning “Parallel; side by side”

Picture two horses standing exactly side by side in a line. The left radical 马 (horse) and the right part 并 (which looks like two strokes together) visually remind you of horses arranged in parallel.

Write the left radical 马 narrow with three strokes: horizontal, vertical-vertical hook, then a horizontal. The right part 并 starts with a horizontal, then two vertical strokes, and a bottom horizontal. A common mistake is making the left side too wide, which unbalances the character.

骈 means 'parallel' or 'side by side', while 驱 means 'to drive' and 驳 means 'to refute'. Visually, 驱 has 区 (area) on the right, and 驳 has 爻 (interwoven lines) on the right, whereas 骈 has 并 (combine) on the right.

骈 appears mostly in literary and classical contexts, such as 骈文 (parallel prose), a traditional style with paired, balanced sentences. It is rarely used in daily conversation but is important for understanding Chinese literary history.

Common words containing 骈 include: 骈文 (pián wén) — Parallel prose; 骈列 (pián liè) — Arranged in parallel; 骈体 (pián tǐ) — Parallel style (of writing).