劈

pī
HSK 6
#2,482 most
frequent character
to hack, to chop, to split open
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

劈 has 刀 knife as the meaning part and 辟 pì as the sound part. It first meant to split something open with an ax or knife. Read pī, it grew to chop or split open. Read pǐ, it means to split or divide.

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Example Sentences

他用刀劈了一个木头块。
tāyòng dāo pī le yígè mùtou kuài 。
He chopped a piece of wood with a knife.
她正在劈柴以准备篝火。
tā zhèngzài pǐchái yǐ zhǔnbèi gōuhuǒ 。
She is splitting firewood to prepare for the bonfire.
雷声劈响，吓了他一跳。
léishēng pī xiǎng ， xiàle tā yītiào 。
The thunder cracked, startling him.

Same Characters, Different Readings

劈pǐ
to split in two, to divide

Words with similar meanings

劈砍pīkǎn
to cut
This term emphasizes the cutting action and is used in contexts focused on cutting or severe chopping.
斩zhǎn
to slash
This word suggests a more forceful and sweeping action compared to 劈, often used in a military or aggressive context.

Homophones

HSK 5
批pī
to ascertain, to act on, to criticize
HSK 5
披pī
to drape over one's shoulders

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Public Lists with 劈

Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.
Advanced HSK6 Terms
Vocabulary used in HSK6 for near-native level fluency.
HSK 6
All words for the HSK 6 test