辨 biàn to recognize
to recognize; to distinguish
怎么记住“辨”: 辛 spicy + ⿰丶丿 knife + 辛 spicy = to recognize. Blindfolded, the chef tastes one spicy sauce, cleans his knife, tastes the other spicy sauce, and is proud to recognize which is his own.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
辨 = 辛 spicy + ⿰丶丿 knife + 辛 spicy
- 辛 spicy sound
- ⿰丶丿 knife meaning
- 辛 spicy sound
Blindfolded, the chef tastes one spicy sauce, cleans his knife, tastes the other spicy sauce, and is proud to recognize which is his own.
How it came to be
A knife in the middle gives the meaning, and the two parts around it give the sound.
用法
- 'To tell apart, distinguish by the senses': 辨别 (biànbié), 辨认 (biànrèn) to identify, 分辨 (fēnbiàn) to differentiate.
- Do NOT confuse the character with 辩 (argue): 辨 has 刀/丿 (a knife) in the middle. You distinguish by cutting things apart. 辩 has 言 (speech) in the middle. You argue with words. Same sound biàn.