笔试
bǐ shì · HSK 6
examination
📝 笔 (pen) + 试 (test) = pen-test, i.e. written exam
笔 means writing brush or pen; 试 means test or try. Together they mark an exam done on paper with a pen, as opposed to 口试 (oral exam) where 口 means mouth.
笔 — bamboo radical 竹 (⺮) + 毛 (hair/fur)
Originally written 筆, depicting a writing brush: 竹 (bamboo) on top for the shaft and 毛 (hair) below for the bristles. Early brushes were bamboo handles tipped with animal hair. The simplified form 笔 keeps the same logic, just replacing the lower component directly with 毛.
试 — speech radical 讠 (言) + 式 shì
试 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The speech radical 讠 (言, 'words/speech') gives the meaning, since testing originally involved questioning or verbal trial. The right side 式 ('pattern, model') supplies the sound shì. Together they suggest 'to try out by a set method,' yielding senses like test, try, attempt.