避 (bì): to avoid, to shun, to flee
避 (bì) is a Chinese character meaning “to avoid.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 辶 (semantic) and 辟 (phonetic). It ranks #990 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 避 foot. Its radical form 辶 (walk) appears in many related characters such as 边 (biān, side), 过 (guò, to pass, past), 还 (hái, still, return).
Definitions
- to avoid
- to shun
- to flee
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 避 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 避
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 逃避verb | táo bì | to escape |
| 避开verb | bì kāi | to avoid |
| 回避verb | huí bì | variant of 迴避|回避 |
| 避孕套noun | bì yùn tào | condom |
| 避难所noun | bì nàn suǒ | a refuge |
| 不可避免phrase | bù kě bì miǎn | (idiom) inevitable |
| 避难verb | bì nàn | to take refuge |
| 避孕药noun | bì yùn yào | oral contraceptive |
| 避孕verb | bì yùn | contraception |
| 避暑verb | bì shǔ | to be away for the summer holidays |
| 避风verb | bì fēng | to take shelter from the wind |
| 避风港noun | bì fēng gǎng | haven |
| 规避verb | guī bì | to evade |
| 避雷针noun | bì léi zhēn | lightning rod |
| 避讳verb | bì huì | to avoid a taboo (usu. on the given names of emperors or one's elders) |
避 appears in 74 compound words: 64 as the first character, 14 as the last, and 23 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 避 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (14)
(idiom) stay clear of the enemy's main force and strike at his weak points
to give way to avoid a conflict in the face of superior strength (to avoid heavy losses)
to make best use of one's advantages while avoiding their shortcomings
(idiom) stay clear of the enemy's main force and strike at his weak points
to give way to avoid a conflict in the face of superior strength (to avoid heavy losses)
to make best use of one's advantages while avoiding their shortcomings
Showing 12 of 14 idioms containing 避.
Example Sentences
为了避雨，我们躲进了附近的商店。
Wèile bì yǔ, wǒmen duǒ jìn le fùjìn de shāngdiàn.
To avoid the rain, we took shelter in a nearby shop.
洗衣服最忌三个时间段?避开这些时段洗得更干净
xǐ yī fú zuì jì sān gè shí jiān duàn ? bì kāi zhè xiē shí duàn xǐ dé gēng gān jìng
Three times to avoid when doing laundry? Skip these times for cleaner results.
男生小便后甩一甩是社交礼仪吗?避免滴漏体现个人卫生吗
nán shēng xiǎo biàn hòu shuǎi yī shuǎi shì shè jiāo lǐ yí ma ? bì miǎn dī lòu tǐ xiàn gè rén wèi shēng ma
Is shaking after urination considered social etiquette for men? Does preventing dripping reflect personal hygiene?
...穩贏?律師揭中工奪權2關鍵:斷通路商後路避泰山案
. . . 穩 贏 ? lǜ 師 jiē zhōng gōng 奪 權 關 鍵 斷 tōng lù shāng 後 lù bì tài shān àn
...Sure Win? Lawyer Reveals Two Key Strategies for China Machinery's Power Grab: Cutting Off Distributors' Retreat Paths to Avoid the Taishan Case
特朗普關稅頻“變臉“點燃避險情緒 黃金強勢重返5200美元上方
tè lǎng pǔ 關 稅 頻 變 臉 點 rán bì 險 qíng 緒 黃 jīn 強 勢 chóng fǎn měi yuán shàng fāng
Trump's Frequent Tariff Reversals Spark Safe-Haven Demand as Gold Surges Back Above $5,200
巴克萊認為萬科(02202)正努力避免徹底違約 這是一個積極信號
bā kè 萊 認 為 萬 kē zhèng nǔ lì bì miǎn 徹 de 違 約 這 shì yī 個 積 極 xìn 號
Barclays believes Vanke (02202) is striving to avoid a full-scale default, which is a positive signal.
他们去了爱丁堡避暑。
Tāmen qù le àidīngbǎo bìshǔ.
They went to Edinburgh to escape from the summer heat.
汤姆尽量避开玛丽。
Tāngmǔ jìnliàng bìkāi Mǎlì.
Tom avoids Mary whenever possible.
有时候盟军无法避免战争。
Yǒushíhou méngjūn wúfǎ bìmiǎn zhànzhēng.
Sometimes the Allies could not avoid battle.
你是怎么避开这酷暑的？
Nǐ shì zěnme bìkāi zhè kùshǔ de?
How are you keeping off this intense heat?
Character Family
Semantic Family — Characters sharing the 辶 (foot) component
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 避 (bì) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 避 and 劈?
How many strokes does 避 have?
What is the radical of 避?
What are the components of 避?
What are common words containing 避?
What characters sound the same as 避 (bì)?
Is 避 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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