骈 (pián) - To pair & to couple

骈Tone 2

pián ｜ 9 strokes ｜ radical:

柠七

骈 · pián

To pair;

to couple;

parallel;

antithetical;

specifically refers to parallel prose (pianwen) in Chinese literature where phrases are arranged in balanced pairs.

To pairto coupleparallel

Usage highlights

Parallel prosePaired horsesParallel sentencesFused fingers/toesPaired ribsParallel composition

Synonyms

  • 并— to combine; parallel
  • 对— pair; couple
  • 双— double; twin

Antonyms

  • 单— single; solitary
  • 独— alone; independent

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He writes in parallel prose (骈文).
  • The horses are harnessed in pairs (骈马).
  • This is a parallel sentence structure (骈句).
  • Fingers growing together (骈指) is a congenital condition.

Collocations

  • Parallel prose(骈文)
  • Paired horses(骈马)
  • Parallel sentences(骈句)
  • Fused fingers/toes(骈指)
  • Paired ribs(骈肋)
  • Parallel composition(骈俪)

Idioms

  • Flowery parallel prose(骈四俪六)
  • Paired words and parallel sentences(骈词俪句)
  • Paired branches and joined leaves(骈枝俪叶)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 骈文 (parallel prose) was a highly stylized literary form popular during the Six Dynasties and Tang periods, characterized by balanced phrasing and antithetical parallelism.
  • The character originally meant 'two horses harnessed side by side,' extending to any paired or parallel arrangement.
  • In medical contexts, 骈指 refers to syndactyly (fused fingers or toes), a congenital condition.

FAQ