Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (hand component) should be slightly narrower than the right phonetic part, maintaining overall compact horizontal harmony.
1. Meaning
to peel or strip off (clothing, skin, bark)
to pull down or demolish (a wall, building)to dig out or excavateto hold onto or cling to while climbing
VerbNeutral#actions#demolition#removal
Sample Usage
把皮扒掉。
bǎ pí bā diào.
Peel off the skin.
扒开土。
bā kāi tǔ.
Dig away the earth.
2. Sound
/[pa˥]/Tone: 55
扒
bāba1
|
++
¯(55)
=bā
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
ba
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Say it like:“bah”ExactTone pitch cue:flat, high
Key difference: —
Initial Consonant
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b sound as in 'bat'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Both lips closed tightly together before releasing into the vowel with no burst of air.
Final Rhyme
a
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -a as in 'father'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ah'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
5 → 5 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 stays flat and high, similar to the high-pitched flat 'bee' or a musical note sung steadily without rising or falling.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with bǎ (Tone 3) or bà (Tone 4). Make sure to keep the pitch high and flat without any dipping or falling.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Hold a steady, high horizontal line in front of you, like a flat rooftop, matching the high level pitch of Tone 1.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 5 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (hand component) should be slightly narrower than the right phonetic part, maintaining overall compact horizontal harmony.
4. Components
Radical扌 · Hand Radical (hand, manual action)
Semantic Clue (形旁):扌 (Indicates that the action is performed with the hand (pulling, peeling, digging).)
Phonetic Clue (声旁):巴 (original sound: bā)
The Hand radical (扌) on the left meets the phonetic component 'Ba' (巴) on the right to show an action performed forcefully with the hands—like peeling or pulling down.
扌 Hand action
巴 Phonetic clue for 'bā'
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
5· Phonetic Root: 八 (bā)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Combined from the hand radical (扌) indicating physical action and 巴 (bā) providing the sound and an implication of sticking or clinging.
Semantic Evolution: Originally denoting grasping or clinging, it broadened to include stripping off layers, peeling, digging, and pulling down structures.
The character pairs a concrete physical tool (the hand) with a phonetic helper to specify tactile verbs.
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
You use your HAND (扌) to grab a snake's TAIL (巴) and PEEL off its skin in one smooth motion (bā).
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
八
bāeightPhonetic Core (声旁)
办
bànto do, handle, manage+ 力 (power)
叭
bādenote a sound or sharp noise (gunfire etc)+ 口 (mouth)