Chinese word

怕

Pronunciation

Pinyinpà

Meaning

  • verbbe afraid

Example

别怕，我会陪你。bié pà wǒ huì péi nǐ

Don't be afraid; I will stay with you.

Illustration for 怕 (be afraid)

More examples

她不怕考试。tā bú pà kǎo shì

She is not afraid of exams.

Core concept

An inner alarm that makes a person pull back from danger, pain, or an unwanted situation.

Common phrases

  • 别怕bié pà

    don't be afraid

  • 怕冷pà lěng

    be sensitive to cold

  • 怕疼pà téng

    be afraid of pain

Similar words

害怕hài pà: Feel scared when facing something unpleasant, dangerous, or unwanted.
担心dān xīn: Feel uneasy because something may go wrong or turn out badly.

Definition in Chinese

对某事或某人感到畏惧或不安，产生想回避、不愿接近的心理状态。duì mǒu shì huò mǒu rén gǎn dào wèi jù huò bù ān chǎn shēng xiǎng huí bì bú yuàn jiē jìn de xīn lǐ zhuàng tài

Word origin

The character 怕 (pà, "be afraid") combines 忄 (xīn, "heart"), a meaning clue for feelings, with 白 (bái, "white"), which mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • Chinese can place this verb directly before a noun or verb, while English usually uses afraid of before a noun and afraid to before a verb.

Other meanings

  • scaredadjective
  • cowerverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word