Pinyin initial: "pi"

The Pinyin initial "pi" is used in the first half of Pinyin syllables. In MandarinBanana's mnemonic system, "pi" belongs to the group of Pinyin initials which are represented in mnemonics by women. You can visit the Pinyin index to see all Pinyin syllables from this mnemonic group, or to see all Pinyin syllables "pi" can appear in.

Mnemonics for pi

Pi is for Pocahontas.

Characters with pi

radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 4) / see 撇[pie3]

Pocahontas (pi-) is eating a banana (丿) in the elevator's living room (-e3).
(onom.) ping / bing

= + 丿 : Pocahontas (pi) is playing table tennis (乒) in front of the engine ((e)ng1). The table is standing on a huge mound (丘), and only the left half of the table and the mound can be seen. Pocahontas uses a banana (丿) as table tennis bat.
(bound form) article; commodity; product; goods / (bound form) grade; rank / kind; type; variety / character; disposition; nature; temperament / to taste sth; to sample / to criticize; to comment; to judge; to size up / fret (on a guitar or lute)

= : Pocahontas (pi) is watching a pyramid of oranges (mnemonic symbol for 品) in the encampment's living room ((e)n3). She wants to sample (品) one, and just as she takes one from the base, the whole commodity (品) collapses.
beer

= + : Pocahontas (pi) is trying to refine mandarins (口) into beer (啤) as coal is refined into diamonds: by applying the sheer pressure of the Alps (卑). She missed that just inside the space station (Ø2) there's no gravity and therefore also no pressure from the Alps is exerted on the mandarin.
surname Piao / Korean surname (Park, Pak, or Bak) / also pr. [Pu2]
spleen

= + : Pocahontas (pi) had to go to the space station, but all space shuttles were broken so the only possibility was to lower the space station's orbit so that Pocahontas can jump in from the top of the Alpes (卑). Just inside the entrance (Ø2) she is terribly mad about first having to climb the Alpes and then having to make a big jump into the space station. As she is cursing without end and shaking off stones from the Alpes the moon (月), who didn't have to do all that because he was already in space, scolds her for her bad temper (脾).
used in 便宜|便宜[pian2 yi5] / used in 便便[pian2 pian2] / used in 便嬛[pian2 xuan1]
clogged / evil
surname Ping

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a pan (平底锅) as it has a very flat and level surface.

Pocahontas (pi) is fighting with a crocodile (丷) just inside the engine's kitchen ((e)ng2). She's throwing so many dried fruits (干) at it that it's totally flat (平) soon. She gives it a last blow striking with a frying pan (平).
flat / level / equal / to tie (make the same score) / to draw (score) / calm / peaceful / abbr. for 平聲|平声[ping2 sheng1]

= + : Mnemonic symbol: a pan (平底锅) as it has a very flat and level surface.

Pocahontas (pi) is fighting with a crocodile (丷) just inside the engine's kitchen ((e)ng2). She's throwing so many dried fruits (干) at it that it's totally flat (平) soon. She gives it a last blow striking with a frying pan (平).
a plain / ping, unit of area equal to approx. 3.3058 square meters (used in Japan and Taiwan)

= + : Pocahontas (pi) wants to recreate the plains (坪) of her home in the engine's kitchen ((e)ng2) to build a brand new Indian graveyard. To this end she layers the plain sheet by sheet through roasting dirt (土) in a pan (平) until it is flat (平).
poor / inadequate / deficient / garrulous

= + : Pocahontas (pi) has the crab (贝) cut her hair while stopping the time with a stopwatch (分) in the encampment's kitchen ((e)n2). While the crab cuts quite fast, the resulting hairstyle is of very poor (贫) quality.
frequency / frequently / repetitious

= + : Pocahontas (pi) is repeatedly (频) shaking a five-paced viper (步) in the encampment's kitchen ((e)n2). She wants to find out the eigenfrequency (频) of the viper by shaking it at different holding points. She marks her findings on a sheet of paper (页), and next to her she stores a whole stack of papers (页) she already published on the subject.
ticket / ballot / banknote / CL:張|张[zhang1] / person held for ransom / amateur performance of Chinese opera / classifier for groups, batches, business transactions

= + : Pocahontas (pi) urgently needs to use the aorta's bathroom (ao4). In the bathroom there is a cleaning lady next to a guidon (示) on which it is written that you have to purchase a ticket (票) if you want to use the bathroom. To make sure that everyone is willing to pay the lady equipped herself with a knuckleduster (覀).
variant of 飄|飘[piao1]

= + : The aorta has become a world heritage site and now one has to purchase a very expensive ticket (票) to enter. Pocahontas (pi) got a ticket, and in front of the aorta (ao1) she's looking for it, but she cannot find it. It is because the wind (风) blew it away, and now it is floating (飘) on the water of a puddle right next to her.
to float

= + : The aorta has become a world heritage site and now one has to purchase a very expensive ticket (票) to enter. Pocahontas (pi) got a ticket, and in front of the aorta (ao1) she's looking for it, but she cannot find it. It is because the wind (风) blew it away, and now it is floating (飘) on the water of a puddle right next to her.
leather / skin / fur / CL:張|张[zhang1] / pico- (one trillionth) / naughty

= + 丿 + + : Just inside the entrance of the space station Pocahontas destroys her cow's hide with a sickle because she decided to go vegan. Instead of leather she'll wear a banana peel as coat, boxing gloves as shoes and a big dinosaur bone as long hat.

= + 丿 + + : New mnemonic symbol, since I also use the cow's hide for 革: leather shoes.

= + 丿 + + : Mnemonic symbol: a cow's hide.
surname Pi
to gallop / to assist / to attack / to wade / great / old variant of 憑|凭[ping2]

= + : Pocahontas (pi) is keeping her unicorn (马) galopping (冯) through engine's kitchen ((e)ng2) by scaring it with a popsicle (冫).
to discuss / to comment / to criticize / to judge / to choose (by public appraisal)

= + : Pocahontas (pi) saw a pan (平) advertised on an advertising column (讠) in the engine's kitchen ((e)ng2), but she is not satisfied at all, so she leaves her comments (评) on the pan by beating the pan over the advertising column.