All meanings
- pen
- pencil
- writing brush
- to write or compose
- the strokes of Chinese characters
- classifier for sums of money, deals
- ,枝[zhi1]
In context
Example sentences
请给我一支笔。
Qǐng gěi wǒ yī zhī bǐ.
Please give me a pen.
Keep going
Related words
Words with 笔
Grammar notes
Appears in these articles
HSK levels
笔: New to the HSK lists at HSK 2. See where your old level lands
New exam levels follow the CLEC syllabus released 15 November 2025. The first official sitting of the new exam is announced for 13 December 2026, for HSK 1 to 6. HSK 7-9 is one advanced band.
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Frequently Asked Questions
笔 (bǐ) means "pen; pencil; writing brush; to write or compose; the strokes of Chinese characters; classifier for sums of money, deals; ,枝[zhi1]" in Chinese. The new HSK exam tests it at HSK 2.
笔 is pronounced "bǐ" in Mandarin Chinese. The tone number is 3.
笔 is an HSK 2 word on the new HSK exam syllabus.
Common words with 笔 include 下笔 (to put pen to paper), 五笔 (abbr. of 五筆字型|五笔字型, five stroke input method for Chinese characters by numbered strokes, invented by Wang Yongmin 王永民 in 1983), 代笔 (to write on behalf of sb), 伏笔 (foreshadowing (literary device)), 信笔 (to write freely).
You can practice writing 笔 using our stroke order tool.
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.