偏

Core sense is asymmetry: deviation from a center, midline, or balance.

• Spatial/Physical: Slanting, tilting, or skewed toward one side.
• Geographic/Social: Remote, secluded, or marginalized (positioned to the side of a population or power center).
• Cognitive/Moral: Partiality or bias; leaning toward one party or argument; lacking impartiality.
• Restrictive: Only, merely, or narrowly (focusing on one part to the exclusion of the whole).

• Predicate: Functions as a stative verb (e.g., "to be slanted," "to be remote").
• Modifier: Used attributively to describe nouns (e.g., "a biased view," "a remote village").

Contrast with 僻 (pì): Both can mean "remote," but 偏 generally denotes a matter of geometry and location (off-center), whereas 僻 more frequently implies deviancy, obscurity, or moral strangeness.

In later strata of the language, the glyph may function as an adverb meaning "contrary to expectations" or "just so."

In early classical texts, prioritize descriptive/stative interpretations over adverbial ones.