兵 (bīng): soldiers, a force, an army
兵 (bīng) is a Chinese character meaning “soldiers.” Classified as HSK Level 6 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 丘 (structural) and 八 (structural). It ranks #398 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 兵 two hands 八 holding an axe 丘. Its radical form 八 (eight) appears in many related characters such as 八 (bā, eight), 六 (liù, six), 关 (guān, mountain pass).
Definitions
- soldiers
- a force
- an army
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTwo hands 八 holding an axe 丘
Decomposition: ⿱丘八 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 兵 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 兵
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 老兵 | lǎo bīng | old soldier |
| 骑兵 | qí bīng | cavalry |
| 大兵 | dà bīng | soldier |
| 当兵 | dāng bīng | to serve in the army |
| 新兵 | xīn bīng | new (army) recruit |
| 卫兵 | wèi bīng | guard |
| 步兵 | bù bīng | infantry |
| 逃兵 | táo bīng | army deserter |
| 民兵 | mín bīng | people's militia |
| 兵团 | bīng tuán | large military unit |
| 兵力 | bīng lì | military strength |
| 兵营 | bīng yíng | military camp |
| 征兵 | zhēng bīng | to levy troops |
| 兵役 | bīng yì | military service |
| 宪兵 | xiàn bīng | military police |
兵 appears in 100 compound words: 37 as the first character, 62 as the last, and 1 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 兵 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (29)
to temporarily stand down one's army (to wait and see how things develop)
to put down weapon and let soldiers rest (idiom); to relax from fighting
elite soldiers, ample provisions (idiom); well-prepared forces; preparations for war are in an advanced state
to temporarily stand down one's army (to wait and see how things develop)
to put down weapon and let soldiers rest (idiom); to relax from fighting
elite soldiers, ample provisions (idiom); well-prepared forces; preparations for war are in an advanced state
Showing 12 of 29 idioms containing 兵.
Example Sentences
写好兵字需要掌握正确的笔画顺序。
xiě hǎo bīng zì xū yāo zhǎng wò zhēng què de bǐ huà shùn xù .
To write the character "兵" correctly, you need to master the proper stroke order.
把“麦克风”递给官兵!海军航空兵某团增强课堂吸引力
bǎ mài kè fēng dì gěi guān bīng ! hǎi jūn háng kōng bīng mǒu tuán zēng qiáng kè táng xī yǐn lì
Hand the "microphone" to the officers and soldiers! A certain regiment of naval aviation enhances the attractiveness of the classroom
这名文书的“减负记录”让官兵们心气顺了
zhè míng wén shū de jiǎn fù jì lù ràng guān bīng men xīn qì shùn le
The "burden reduction record" of this document made the officers and soldiers feel happy
玉渊潭丨每名官兵都是一道风景
yù yuān tán 丨 měi míng guān bīng dōu shì yī dào fēng jǐng
Yuyuan Pond丨Every officer and soldier is a scenery
经典兵学丨“鸳鸯阵”对现代协同作战的启示
jīng diǎn bīng xué 丨 鸳 鸯 zhèn duì xiàn dài xié tóng zuò zhàn de qǐ shì
Classic military science丨The enlightenment of the "Mandarin Duck Formation" to modern coordinated operations
沙田早晨│巫伟杰大举练兵
shā tián zǎo chén wū wěi jié dà jǔ liàn bīng
Sha Tin Morning│Wu Weijie conducted large-scale military training
这名士兵被授予紫心勋章。
Zhè míngshì bīng bèi shòuyǔ zǐ xīn xūn zhāng.
This soldier was awarded the Purple Heart.
卫兵神圣,不可侵犯
Wèibīng shénshèng, bùkěqīnfàn
The guards are sacred and inviolable.
每个阿尔及尼亚的男性市民都需要服兵役。
Měi gè ā ěr jí ní yà de nánxìng shìmín dōu xūyào fúbīngyì.
Every male Algerian citizen must do military service.
很快，城市就被士兵占领了。
Hěn kuài, chéngshì jiù bèi shìbīng zhànlǐng le.
The city was soon occupied by the soldiers.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 兵 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 兵 with real-time feedback
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