琵
pí
#3,713 most
frequent character
see 琵琶, pipa lute
Character breakdown
Source: Make Me a Hanzi.
琵 has an empty part 玨 that once showed the strings of an instrument, while 比 bǐ gives the sound. Its old meaning is a lute-like stringed instrument with frets. The reading xì means evening tide, and from that comes evening ebb tide.
Drawn as: instrument strings
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