褊 (biǎn) - Narrow & cramped

褊Tone 3

biǎn ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

傲不

褊 · biǎn

Narrow;

cramped;

limited in capacity or scope;

also refers to being narrow-minded or petty.

Narrowcrampedlimited in capacity or scope

Usage highlights

Narrow and crampedNarrowLimited capacityPetty and narrowShallow knowledgeNarrow temperament

Synonyms

  • 窄— narrow (physically)
  • 狭— narrow, confined
  • 隘— narrow, restricted
  • 局— limited, confined

Antonyms

  • 宽— wide, broad
  • 广— extensive, vast
  • 阔— spacious, broad
  • 宏— grand,宏大

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The room is quite narrow (房间褊狭).
  • He has a narrow-minded perspective (他心胸褊狭).
  • The land is cramped and unsuitable for farming (土地褊小).
  • Her knowledge is limited in this area (知识褊浅).

Collocations

  • Narrow and cramped(褊狭)
  • Narrow-minded(褊急)
  • Limited capacity(褊小)
  • Petty and narrow(褊窄)
  • Shallow knowledge(褊浅)
  • Narrow temperament(褊性)

Idioms

  • Narrow and limited(褊狭之见)
  • Petty and narrow-minded(褊急之性)
  • Limited in scope and capacity(褊小局促)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Often used in classical Chinese to describe physical narrowness or mental limitations.
  • In Confucian context, being '褊' is considered a character flaw, opposite to the virtue of magnanimity.
  • The character appears in historical texts criticizing narrow-mindedness or limited perspectives.

FAQ