狈 (bèi) is a Chinese character meaning “a legendary beast with short forelegs, said to travel by”. It is written from 犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 贝 (shell), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “a legendary wolf-like beast”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
犭 + 贝
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（犭 3 笔 + 贝 4 笔 = 7 笔）
Memory aid
A beast radical (犭) carrying a shell (贝) on its back. Both parts are really in this character. Remember it by its only common word 狼狈: the beast rides along and everything ends up in a mess.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 狼狈láng bèiin a sorry state; awkward; badly off狈 = bèi
Go deeper
All readings
a legendary wolf-like beast
a legendary beast with short forelegs, said to travel by riding on a wolf; used almost only in 狼狈
传说中的一种兽，前腿很短，走路时要趴在狼身上。今天几乎只用在「狼狈」里。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 狼狈láng bèiin a sorry state; awkward; badly off狈 = bèi
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 狈 mean?
狈 (bèi) means a legendary beast with short forelegs, said to travel by riding on a wolf; used almost only in 狼狈.
How do you pronounce 狈?
It is pronounced bèi.
What parts is 狈 made of?
犭 (dog / beast radical (side form of 犬)) and 贝 (shell), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分：hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（犭 3 笔 + 贝 4 笔 = 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 狈 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 狈?
犬. 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 狈?
Common ones are 狼狈. The reading of 狈 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.