Chinese character 闢

闢 means opening a way or clearing something away.

The oldest known examples appear on bronze vessels bearing inscriptions from the early Western Zhou, an ancient Chinese dynasty; the sign depicts two hands opening a gate.

That gate-opening action broadened to opening land or a route, developing territory, clearing obstacles, and refuting claims. In 闢謠, the thing being cleared away is a rumor.

Should you write 闢 or 辟?

Traditional-character Chinese uses 闢; simplified Chinese usually uses 辟 for this sense.

The forms are related, but 辟 also has its own meanings and readings, so the surrounding word still matters.

As of 2026, Japanese dictionaries place 闢 outside Japan’s standard-use kanji list, the set designated for general writing, but retain it in 開闢 for “opening up.” Do not infer its Japanese reading from Mandarin.