丙

Third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 Component (丙)

bǐng · 5 strokes

The third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 component (丙) is a less common component in Chinese characters. In Chinese, components serve different roles: semantic elements contribute meaning, phonetic elements suggest pronunciation, and structural elements provide the character's framework. It primarily serves as a phonetic element, contributing pronunciation patterns to the characters where it appears. Characters containing 丙 often share the pronunciation bing: 病, 柄. It typically appears on the inner (enclosed) part of a character. 2 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 Component at a Glance

Stroke Count5
Total Characters2
Primary RolePhonetic (pronunciation)
Typical Positioninner (enclosed) part
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (1 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes10
Also a Kangxi Radical?No

All Third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 Component Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

病bìngillness

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

柄bǐnghandle or shaft (of an axe etc)

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 component (丙)?
There are 2 characters containing the third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 component (丙) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 病 (bìng, "illness"), 柄 (bǐng, "handle or shaft (of an axe etc)"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 丙 a radical or a component?
丙 is a component but not one of the 214 Kangxi radicals. Kangxi radicals are the traditional set used to classify and look up characters in dictionaries. Components are the broader set of building blocks that make up all Chinese characters — including radicals, phonetic elements, and structural pieces. While 丙 is not used as a dictionary classifier, it plays an important role as a phonetic element in the 2 characters where it appears.
Where does 丙 appear in a character?
The third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 component (丙) most commonly appears on the inner (enclosed) part of a character. Full position breakdown: inner (enclosed) part (1 characters), right side (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 丙 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 component characters?
Characters containing the third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干 component (丙) appear across 2 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 1 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common third of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Components are identified through structural decomposition analysis of characters in the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首).