bì

璧

Character · Noun

ancient disc-shaped jade

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

1 sense · 3 examples
1.

noun

an ancient flat, round jade artifact with a hole in the center

archaic

A ceremonial object in ancient China, often used in rituals, as a symbol of authority, or as a precious gift. It is distinct from other jade shapes like '环' (huan, ring) which has a larger hole, or '瑗' (yuan, large-holed disc).

Kǎo考
gǔ古
xué学
jiā家
fā发
xiàn现
le了
yī一
jiàn件
wán完
měi美
de的
yù玉
bì璧
 。

The archaeologist discovered a perfect jade bi disc.

Hé和
shì氏
bì璧
shì是
Zhōng中
guó国
lì历
shǐ史
shàng上
zuì最
zhù著
míng名
de的
yù玉
bì璧
 。

The Heshi Bi is the most famous jade bi disc in Chinese history.

Show 1 more example
Bái白
bì璧
wú无
xiá瑕
 ,
xíng形
róng容
wán完
měi美
wú无
quē缺
 。

'A flawless white jade bi' is a metaphor for absolute perfection.