币 bì currency
currency; coins; legal tender
How to remember 币: ㇒ falling stroke + 巾 towel = currency. At the exchange office the clerk draws a falling stroke through the old rate, wipes the counter with a towel and counts out the new currency.
Component breakdown
币 = ㇒ falling stroke + 巾 towel
- ㇒ falling stroke
- 巾 towel
At the exchange office the clerk draws a falling stroke through the old rate, wipes the counter with a towel and counts out the new currency.
How it is used
- 币 never stands alone - it's the bound morpheme for "currency" that always attaches to a modifier: 人民币 (rénmínbì) RMB, 货币 (huòbì) currency in general, 外币 (wàibì) foreign currency, 硬币/纸币 (yìngbì/zhǐbì) coin/banknote.
- 你要硬币还是纸币？ (nǐ yào yìngbì háishi zhǐbì) coins or banknotes? Say 硬币 rather than 币 on its own.
- On its own you'd say 钱 (qián) for "money"; 币 is the formal/technical suffix used in economic and financial contexts.