ZHIZHI 知止 · LEARN CHINESE DAILY
旁
side; beside
páng
10 strokes · 方 (direction) with a canopy above — directions spreading sideways · HSK 2
What 旁 is made of
亠 + 丷 + 冖 + 方 = 旁
亠lid stroke
丷divide (two strokes)
冖cover / crown
方square / direction / place fāng
Where 旁 comes from
旁 grew from 方 'direction' under a spreading top: what fans out to all sides. It settled on the sideways ones — the flanks, the edges, the seat next to yours.
旁 in Chinese culture
旁边 'the side' answers half of all where-questions in Chinese: 在我旁边 'next to me'. 旁人 are bystanders; 旁观 to watch from the sidelines. And the components of Chinese characters themselves are called 偏旁 — every hanzi has its sides.
Example
旁边 pángbiān — beside; next to
他坐在我旁边。
Tā zuò zài wǒ pángbiān.
He sits next to me.
How to remember it
Directions 方 fanning out — the space BESIDE you.
旁观者清 'the bystander sees clearly' — chess players in Chinese parks endure endless sideline advice justified by this proverb.
Same sound, different tones
Words unlocked by 旁
旁边 pángbiān
beside
我旁边 wǒ pángbiān
next to me
旁人 pángrén
bystanders
Related characters
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One character a morning · 455-character HSK library · iOS