比 — to compare
to compare; more {adj.} than {noun}; ratio; to gesture
- Pinyin
- bǐ · bī · Bǐ
- Strokes
- 4
- HSK level
- HSK 2
- Handwriting
- required
This character has more than one reading — bǐ, bī, Bǐ — and the pronunciation depends on the word it appears in. The list below gives the syllabus reading for each word.
How to write 比: 4 strokes
Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. This character is on the HSK handwriting list, so the exam expects you to write it, not only recognise it.
Words with 比 in the HSK syllabus: 20
Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.
- 比bǐBelgium; BelgianHSK 2
- 比较bǐjiàoto compare; to contrast; comparatively; relativelyHSK 3
- 比如bǐrúfor example; for instance; such asHSK 3
- 比赛bǐsàicompetition; match; to competeHSK 3
- 相比xiāngbǐto compareHSK 4
- 比分bǐfēnscoreHSK 5
- 比例bǐlìproportion; scaleHSK 5
- 比喻bǐyùto compare; to liken to; metaphor; analogyHSK 5
- 对比duìbǐto contrast; contrast; ratioHSK 5
- 比方bǐfanganalogy; illustrative example; for instanceHSK 6
- 比重bǐzhòngproportion; specific gravityHSK 6
- 性价比xìngjiàbǐcost-performance ratioHSK 6
- 占比zhànbǐproportion; percentageHSK 6
- 百分比bǎifēnbǐpercentageHSK 7–9
- 比比皆是bǐbǐ-jiēshìcan be found everywhereHSK 7–9
- 比试bǐshito have a competitionHSK 7–9
- 好比hǎobǐto be just like; can be compared toHSK 7–9
- 环比huánbǐperiod on periodHSK 7–9
- 同比tóngbǐcompared with the same period of the previous year; year on year; year over yearHSK 7–9
- 无比wúbǐincomparable; matchlessHSK 7–9
Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.