扒 (bā) - To hold on to & to cling to

扒Tone 1

bā ｜ 5 strokes ｜ radical: 扌

傲不

扒 · bā

To hold on to;

to cling to;

to dig up;

to push aside;

to peel off;

to strip;

also read as pá meaning to rake, to gather up, to scratch.

To hold on toto cling toto dig up

Usage highlights

Cling toDig upPush asidePeel offStealRake together

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He clings to the railing (扒着栏杆).
  • Dig up the sweet potatoes (扒红薯).
  • Push aside the crowd (扒开人群).
  • Peel off the orange peel (扒橘子皮).

Collocations

  • Cling to(扒着)
  • Dig up(扒出)
  • Push aside(扒开)
  • Peel off(扒掉)
  • Steal(扒窃)
  • Rake together(扒拢)

Idioms

  • Pickpocketing(扒窃)
  • Eating without hands(吃里扒外)
  • Raking in money(扒分)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • The character combines the hand radical (扌) with the component 八 (eight), suggesting the action of spreading or dividing with hands.
  • In northern Chinese dialects, '扒' is commonly used in colloquial expressions for actions involving hands.
  • The dual pronunciation (bā/pá) reflects different semantic extensions from the basic hand-action meaning.

FAQ