Chinese word

坝

Pronunciation

Pinyinbà

Meaning

  • noundam

Example

我们去看坝吧。wǒ men qù kàn bà ba

Let's go see the dam.

Illustration for 坝 (dam)

More examples

工程师们计划在下个月修筑一座新的坝。gōng chéng shī men jì huà zài xià gè yuè xiū zhù yí zuò xīn de bà

The engineers plan to build a new dam next month.

Core concept

A raised barrier beside or across a waterway that controls where water goes and how high it stands.

Common phrases

  • 河坝hé bà

    river dam

  • 土坝tǔ bà

    earthen dam

Similar words

大坝dà bà: A large, high water barrier built for flood prevention, storage, or generating power.
水坝shuǐ bà: A common name for a structure that stops water from flowing freely.
堰yàn: A low river barrier used to slow water for irrigation or water collection.
堤坝dī bà: A long earth bank along a river or coast that keeps floodwater from spreading.

Definition in Chinese

拦截或引导水流的土石筑成的堤防或构筑物，也可指渠道、河岸上为防洪或灌溉而堆起的土堤。lán jié huò yín dǎo shuǐ liú de tǔ shí zhù chéng de dī fáng huò gòu zhù wù yě kě zhǐ qú dào hé àn shàng wèi fáng hóng huò guàn gài ér duī qǐ de tǔ dī

Word origin

坝 (bà, "dam") is the simplified form of 壩 (bà, "dam"); 土 (tǔ, "earth") points to the material and 霸 (bà, "dominate") provides the sound.

Usage tips

  • English names for water barriers often separate structures by shape and job, but this Chinese term is broader, making the surrounding context important when choosing an English equivalent.

Other meanings

  • leveenoun
  • weirnoun
  • embankmentnoun

Related words

  • 筑坝zhù bàbuild a damverb
  • 坝基bà jīdam foundationnoun

Word lists with this word