悲 (bēi): sad, sadness, sorrow
悲 (bēi) is a Chinese character meaning “sad.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 非 (phonetic) and 心 (semantic). It ranks #1164 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 悲 heart. Its radical form 忄 (heart) appears in many related characters such as 忙 (máng, busy), 快 (kuài, fast, happy), 怎 (zěn, how).
Definitions
- sad
- sadness
- sorrow
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 悲 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 悲
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可悲adjective | kě bēi | lamentable |
| 悲惨adjective | bēi cǎn | miserable |
| 悲哀adjective | bēi āi | grieved |
| 悲痛adjective | bēi tòng | grieved |
| 慈悲adjective | cí bēi | mercy |
| 悲痛欲绝 | bēi tòng yù jué | (idiom) to be overcome with grief |
| 悲剧性 | bēi jù xìng | tragic |
| 悲愤adjective | bēi fèn | grief and indignation |
| 悲天悯人phrase | bēi tiān mǐn rén | to bemoan the state of the universe and pity the fate of mankind |
| 悲叹 | bēi tàn | to bewail |
| 悲鸣verb | bēi míng | to utter a mournful cry |
| 悲恸adjective | bēi tòng | mournful |
| 悲怆noun | bēi chuàng | sorrow |
| 乐极生悲phrase | lè jí shēng bēi | extreme joy turns to sorrow (idiom) |
| 悲壮adjective | bēi zhuàng | solemn and stirring |
悲 appears in 56 compound words: 73 as the first character, 16 as the last, and 11 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 悲 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (11)
unable to control one's grief (idiom); overwrought; overcome with sorrow; heartbroken
sorrow, joy, separation and reunion; vicissitudes of life; sorrows and joys
mercy as the guiding principle (idiom); the Buddhist teaching that nothing is valid except compassion
unable to control one's grief (idiom); overwrought; overcome with sorrow; heartbroken
sorrow, joy, separation and reunion; vicissitudes of life; sorrows and joys
Example Sentences
看到孩子的进步，父母悲中十分欣慰。
kàn dào hái zǐ de jìn bù , fù mǔ bēi zhōng shí fēn xīn wèi .
Seeing their child's progress, the parents felt immense comfort amidst their sorrow.
...喊“湿纸覆面”?刘宝杰惊爆:他看到蓝营1悲惨危机
. . . hǎn shī zhǐ fù miàn ? liú bǎo jié jīng bào : tā kàn dào lán yíng 1 bēi cǎn wēi jī
... Shouting "wet paper cover"? Liu Baojie was shocked: he saw the tragic crisis of Blue Camp 1
...爱找麻烦》林欣霈身体2警讯 健检发现罹癌悲喊:为什么是我
. . . ài zhǎo má fán lín xīn 霈 shēn tǐ 2 jǐng xùn jiàn jiǎn fā xiàn 罹 ái bēi hǎn : wéi shén má shì wǒ
... Love to find trouble" Lin Xinpei's body 2 warning signs found that he had cancer during the health examination and cried out: Why me
餐厅女员工陈尸冰柜 业者悲痛发声:警方已排除与职场有关
cān tīng nǚ yuán gōng chén shī bīng guì yè zhě bēi tòng fā shēng : jǐng fāng yǐ pái chú yǔ zhí chǎng yǒu guān
The female employee of the restaurant is in the freezer The operator spoke out in grief: The police have ruled out that it is related to the workplace
金融时报:特朗普对战争的新狂热终将以悲剧收场-FX168
jīn róng shí bào : tè lǎng pǔ duì zhàn zhēng de xīn kuáng rè zhōng jiāng yǐ bēi jù shōu chǎng F X 1 6 8
Financial Times: Trump's New Fanaticism for War Will End in Tragedy - FX168
人伦悲歌!87岁失智父涉弃尸身障儿 3万交保
rén lún bēi gē ! 8 7 suì shī zhì fù shè qì shī shēn zhàng ér 3 wàn jiāo bǎo
A tragic song for human relationships! 87-year-old dementia father involved in abandoning corpses and disabled children 30,000 yuan insurance insurance
她的悲伤无法言喻。
Tā de bēishāng wúfǎ yányù.
No words can express her deep sorrow.
我们对杀人犯感到悲愤填膺。
Wǒmen duì shārénfàn gǎndào bēifèn tián yīng.
We were filled with anger against the murderer.
听到这件悲剧，他俩尽皆哭泣。
Tīngdào zhè jiàn bēijù, tā liǎ jìnjiē kūqì.
They both cried after hearing the tragic news.
语言们的死亡令人遗憾而悲伤。
Yǔyán men de sǐwáng lìngrén yíhàn ér bēishāng.
The death of languages leaves people feeling regret and sorrow.
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 心 (heart) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 悲 (bēi) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 悲 and 快?
How many strokes does 悲 have?
What is the radical of 悲?
What are the components of 悲?
What are common words containing 悲?
What characters sound the same as 悲 (bēi)?
Is 悲 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 悲 with real-time feedback
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