备 (bèi) is a Chinese character meaning “to prepare”. It is written from 夂 (trailing foot; to go slowly) and 田 (field; farmland), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “to prepare; to have ready”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
夂 + 田
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (上三笔 夂 + 下五笔 田，共 8 笔)
Memory aid
A foot walks in from above (夂) and stands over a field (田) — everything in the field is set out and ready before the season starts. That is 备: to prepare, to have ready.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 准备zhǔn bèito prepare; to get ready备 = bèiHSK 2
- 设备shè bèiequipment; facilities备 = bèiHSK 4
- 刘备liú bèiLiu Bei (161–223), founder of the Shu Han state in the Three Kingdoms period备 = bèi
Go deeper
All readings
to prepare; to have ready
to prepare; to get ready; to be equipped with; equipment
预先安排好，使可以使用；也表示具有、齐全。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 准备zhǔn bèito prepare; to get ready备 = bèiHSK 2
- 设备shè bèiequipment; facilities备 = bèiHSK 4
- 刘备liú bèiLiu Bei (161–223), founder of the Shu Han state in the Three Kingdoms period备 = bèi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 备 mean?
备 (bèi) means to prepare; to get ready; to be equipped with; equipment.
How do you pronounce 备?
It is pronounced bèi.
What parts is 备 made of?
夂 (trailing foot; to go slowly) and 田 (field; farmland), one above the other. The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph stroke inspection (上三笔 夂 + 下五笔 田，共 8 笔). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 备 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 备?
夂. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 备?
Common ones are 准备 and 设备. The reading of 备 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.