Chinese word

笔

Pronunciation

Pinyinbǐ

Meaning

  • nounpen

Example

他把笔放在桌子上了。tā bǎ bǐ fàng zài zhuō zi shàng le

He put the pen on the table.

Illustration for 笔 (pen)

More examples

我想买一支笔。wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì zhī bǐ

I want to buy a pen.

Core concept

A handheld tool for putting writing or painting marks on a surface, from a soft brush to a ballpoint pen.

Common phrases

  • 这支笔zhè zhī bǐ

    this pen

  • 买笔mǎi bǐ

    buy a pen

Similar words

铅笔qiān bǐ: A narrow writing tool whose graphite marks can be erased from paper.
钢笔gāng bǐ: A smooth-writing tool that stores ink and delivers it through a metal nib.
圆珠笔yuán zhū bǐ: A common writing tool that puts ink on paper through a rolling ball at its tip.
毛笔máo bǐ: A traditional tool for writing or painting, with a hair tip that absorbs ink.

Definition in Chinese

用于写字的工具，泛指毛笔、钢笔、圆珠笔等各种笔类。yòng yú xiě zì de gōng jù fàn zhǐ máo bǐ gāng bǐ yuán zhū bǐ děng gè zhǒng bǐ lèi

Word origin

笔 (bǐ, "writing tool") developed from 筆 (bǐ, "writing brush"), whose bamboo and writing-tool components reflect the early brush that gave the word its wider modern sense.

Usage tips

  • A natural borrowing request is 能借我一支笔吗 (néng jiè wǒ yì zhī bǐ ma, "May I borrow a writing tool?"), with 支 (zhī, "classifier for slender objects") marking one item.

Other meanings

  • brushnoun

Related words

  • 笔友bí yǒupen palnoun
  • 笔尖bǐ jiānpen tipnoun

Word lists with this word