皆 (jiē) is a Chinese character meaning “all”. It is written from 比 (to compare; two figures side by side) and 白 (white; plain), one above the other, and takes 9 strokes.
Build the character for “all; every one”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
比 + 白
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 说文解字：皆，俱也。从比从白
Memory aid
Two figures side by side (比) standing over 白 "plain, clear". When something is plain to both of them, it is plain to every one — 皆 means all.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
9 strokes
In real words
- 皆大欢喜jiē dà huān xǐeveryone is happy; a happy ending for all皆 = jiē
- 人尽皆知rén jìn jiē zhīknown to everyone; common knowledge皆 = jiē
Go deeper
All readings
all; every one
all; every one of them; in every case — mostly literary, and common inside set phrases
都；全部。多用于书面语和成语中。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 皆大欢喜jiē dà huān xǐeveryone is happy; a happy ending for all皆 = jiē
- 人尽皆知rén jìn jiē zhīknown to everyone; common knowledge皆 = jiē
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 皆 mean?
皆 (jiē) means all; every one of them; in every case — mostly literary, and common inside set phrases.
How do you pronounce 皆?
It is pronounced jiē.
What parts is 皆 made of?
比 (to compare; two figures side by side) and 白 (white; plain), one above the other. The recorded source is: 说文解字：皆，俱也。从比从白. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 皆 have?
9. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 皆?
白. 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 皆?
Common ones are 皆大欢喜 and 人尽皆知. The reading of 皆 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.