譬

By extension: metaphor, simile, parable, or any figurative expression used to clarify meaning.

Phono-semantic compound:

言 (말씀 언) — semantic component, indicating speech or discourse.

辟 (물리칠 벽) — phonetic component, providing the sound pì / bi and suggesting a verbal act involving distinction or contrast.

Thus 言 + 辟 → 譬 — “to make distinctions or explanations through speech,” hence to compare by analogy.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「譬，喩也。从言，辟聲。」

“譬 means to explain by comparison; composed of 言 and phonetic 辟.”

This definition explicitly identifies 譬 with 喩 (yù, “to explain or make clear”), a synonym still seen in the compound 譬喩 (비유) — “comparison and illustration.”

Semantic evolution:

Literal: to compare or illustrate through speech.

Didactic: to explain or teach by example (common in Confucian and Buddhist texts).

Rhetorical: as a marker of figurative comparison (譬如 = “for example, like…”).

Philosophical/Religious: parable or moral analogy (especially in Buddhist sutras: 譬喩經 “The Sutra of Parables”).

譬喩 (비유) — metaphor; simile; parable

譬況 (비황) — analogy; comparative description

譬論 (비론) — discourse by analogy; allegorical reasoning

譬如 (비여) — as if; for example; “just like”

譬似 (비사) — figurative resemblance; symbolic likeness

Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, vol. 1179):

「譬，喩也。比況也。」

“譬 means illustration or analogy; to compare or describe by likeness.”

In Confucian texts, 譬 denotes the didactic use of analogy — an essential teaching method of sages who “explain profound truths through familiar images.”

Book of Mencius (孟子 · 盡心下):

「譬如草木之萌動也。」

“It is like the sprouting of grass and trees” — 譬如 introduces an analogy, “for example,” “as if.”

Analects (論語 · 雍也) commentary (Zhu Xi, 朱子集註):

「譬者，以事相況而明理也。」

“A ‘譬’ is to use one thing to illuminate another — clarifying principle through analogy.”

Zhuangzi (莊子 · 外物篇):

「譬夫水行者，不涉波而後安。」

“Like one who travels by water — only when he does not stir the waves is he at peace” — illustrative parable usage of 譬夫 (“for example, as one who…”).

These examples show that 譬 functioned as both a rhetorical marker (“譬如...”, “for instance...”) and a philosophical term indicating analogical reasoning, central to Confucian and Daoist exposition.

In Buddhist literature translated into Classical Chinese, 譬 (and its compound 譬喩) became the standard rendering for Sanskrit upamā (comparison, simile).

Examples: 法華經 (Lotus Sutra) includes numerous chapters titled with 譬喩 (e.g., 「火宅譬喩品」, “Parable of the Burning House”).

The character bridges language and understanding, transforming speech into explanation.

From Confucius to the Buddha, 譬 became a cornerstone of classical pedagogy — the art of teaching through analogy.

Thus, 譬 signifies not mere comparison, but the act of revealing truth through likeness — the spoken bridge between idea and comprehension.