毙 (bì) is a Chinese character meaning “to die”. It is written from 比 (to compare; two figures side by side) and 死 (to die; death), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “to die; to kill”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
比 + 死
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS ⿱比死 (cjkvi-ids, build-time only) verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke groups: strokes 0-3 = 比, 4-9 = 死
Memory aid
Put side by side (比) on top of death (死): whoever falls there is killed — 毙.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 枪毙qiāng bìto execute by shooting毙 = bì
- 击毙jī bìto shoot dead; to kill毙 = bì
Go deeper
All readings
to die; to kill
to die; to be killed; to kill (especially by shooting)
死（多用于贬义）；打死。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 枪毙qiāng bìto execute by shooting毙 = bì
- 击毙jī bìto shoot dead; to kill毙 = bì
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 毙 mean?
毙 (bì) means to die; to be killed; to kill (especially by shooting).
How do you pronounce 毙?
It is pronounced bì.
What parts is 毙 made of?
比 (to compare; two figures side by side) and 死 (to die; death), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS ⿱比死 (cjkvi-ids, build-time only) verified against hanzi-writer-data stroke groups: strokes 0-3 = 比, 4-9 = 死. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 毙 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 毙?
比. 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 毙?
Common ones are 枪毙 and 击毙. The reading of 毙 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.