Chinese word

把柄

Pronunciation

Pinyinbǎ bǐng

Meaning

  • nounweakness

Example

他发现了我的把柄，就开始威胁我。tā fā xiàn le wǒ de bá bǐng jiù kāi shǐ wēi xié wǒ

He found my weakness and started threatening me.

Illustration for 把柄 (weakness)

More examples

律师找到了对方的把柄，在法庭上反击。lǜ shī zhǎo dào le duì fāng de bá bǐng zài fǎ tíng shàng fǎn jī

The lawyer found the other side's weakness and counterattacked in court.

Core concept

A personal flaw or secret becomes a handle that another person can seize for pressure or advantage.

Common phrases

  • 找到把柄zhǎo dào bá bǐng

    find a weakness

  • 拿把柄说事ná bá bǐng shuō shì

    make an issue of a weakness

  • 利用把柄lì yòng bá bǐng

    exploit a weakness

Similar words

弱点ruò diǎn: A weak point in a person's ability or character.
黑材料hēi cái liào: Damaging information or a scandal that can harm someone's reputation.
缺陷quē xiàn: A missing or imperfect part of a thing or plan.

Definition in Chinese

指可作为攻击材料或丑闻揭露的事实或缺点，在争论或威胁中使人处于不利地位。zhǐ kě zuò wéi gōng jī cái liào huò chǒu wén jiē lù de shì shí huò quē diǎn zài zhēng lùn huò wēi xié zhōng shǐ rén chǔ yú bú lì dì wèi

Word origin

把柄 (bǎbǐng, "handle") is formed from 把 (bǎ, "to hold") + 柄 (bǐng, "handle"), extending the idea of something held in the hand to a point of control over a person.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear leverage as any useful advantage, but this word usually carries the sharper sense of an exposed flaw or compromising fact.

Other meanings

  • leveragenoun
  • dirtnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 把柄儿bá bǐngrweaknessnoun

Word lists with this word