毘
help, assist
Readings
On'yomi
- ヒ
- ビ
Kun'yomi
- たす.ける
Meaning
毘 centers on providing support or aid: helping and assisting someone in need.
Most common words using 毘
- 毘沙門天びしゃもんてん
Vaisravana (guardian god of Buddhism)
- 金毘羅こんぴら
guardian deity of seafaring; Kumbhira
- 荼毘だび
cremation
- 大毘盧遮那成仏神変加持経だいびるしゃなじょうぶつじんべんかじきょう
Mahavairocana Sutra; Mahavairocana Tantra
- 大毘盧遮那経だいびるしゃなきょう
Mahavairocana Sutra; Mahavairocana Tantra
- 大直毘神おおなおびのかみ
great god of restoration
- 摩訶毘盧遮那まかびるしゃな
Mahavairocana (Buddha who symbolizes the entirety of the phenomenological world)
- 毘盧遮那びるしゃな
Vairocana (Buddha who symbolizes the entirety of the phenomenological world)
- 毘盧遮那仏びるしゃなぶつ
Vairocana-Buddha
- 荼毘に付すだびにふす
to cremate (a body)
- 阿毘羅吽欠あびらうんけん
a-bi-ra-un-ken (mantra directed to Vairocana)
- 阿毘達磨あびだつま
abhidharma; texts that contain detailed reworkings of the Buddhist sutras
- 阿毘達磨倶舍論あびだつまくしゃろん
Abhidharma Storehouse Treatise
Study
Etymology
毘 combines 田 (field) and 比 (compare/line up), but the historical origin is uncertain. It may have originally depicted a different concept, and the modern form is likely a simplification or variant.
Meaning mnemonic
Picture a field (田) where two people stand side by side (比), helping each other with the work. 毘 means to help or assist.
Reading mnemonic
For ヒ, imagine a helper shouting 'Hee!' as they lift a heavy load in the field: Hee -> ヒ, and the helper assists with the task.