并 (bìng) is a Chinese character meaning “to combine”. It is written from 丷 (two spreading strokes) and 开 (to open), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “and; to combine”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
丷 + 开
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5E76 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (six strokes: 点 / 撇 on top, then 横 / 横 / 撇 / 竖 forming 开)
Memory aid
Two short strokes (丷) stand side by side above 开 — set down together, side by side, and combined into one.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 并且bìng qiěand; besides; furthermore并 = bìng
- 合并hé bìngto merge; to combine; to amalgamate并 = bìng
- 并行不悖bìng xíng bú bèito run in parallel without conflict并 = bìng
Go deeper
All readings
and; to combine
to combine; to merge; side by side; and moreover (as a connective)
合在一起；同时进行。也用作连词，表示更进一层。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 并且bìng qiěand; besides; furthermore并 = bìng
- 合并hé bìngto merge; to combine; to amalgamate并 = bìng
- 并行不悖bìng xíng bú bèito run in parallel without conflict并 = bìng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 并 mean?
并 (bìng) means to combine; to merge; side by side; and moreover (as a connective).
How do you pronounce 并?
It is pronounced bìng.
What parts is 并 made of?
丷 (two spreading strokes) and 开 (to open), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+5E76 and hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 modern glyph inspection (six strokes: 点 / 撇 on top, then 横 / 横 / 撇 / 竖 forming 开). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 并 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 并?
八. 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 并?
Common ones are 并且 and 合并. The reading of 并 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.