Chinese word

抱

Pronunciation

Pinyinbào

Meaning

  • verbhold

Example

他抱着孩子睡觉。tā bào zhe hái zi shuì jiào

He is holding the child as he sleeps.

Illustration for 抱 (hold)

More examples

面对挫折，她没有抱怨，而是继续努力。miàn duì cuò zhé tā méi yǒu bào yuàn ér shì jì xù nǔ lì

Faced with setbacks, she did not complain but kept working hard.

Core concept

Draws something close and keeps it there, in the arms or in the mind.

Common phrases

  • 抱怨bào yuàn

    complain

  • 抱着希望bào zhe xī wàng

    hold on to hope

Similar words

拥抱yōng bào: To wrap both arms around someone firmly to show love or offer a greeting.
抱起bào qǐ: To lift a person or object into the arms and hold the person or object there.
抱着bào zhe: To keep a person or object held in the arms.
搂lǒu: To pull someone close with the arms or body and hold them there.

Definition in Chinese

用手臂围住别人以示亲近、安慰或亲昵，也可泛指用手持有某物或在心中怀有某种想法。yòng shǒu bì wéi zhù bié rén yǐ shì qīn jìn ān wèi huò qīn nì yě kě fàn zhǐ yòng shǒu chí yǒu mǒu wù huò zài xīn zhōng huái yǒu móu zhǒng xiáng fǎ

Word origin

The character is built from 扌 (shǒu, "hand") + 包 (bāo, "wrap"); 扌 points to a hand action, while 包 mainly supplies the sound.

Usage tips

  • English separates bringing someone close from moving someone in the arms more often than Chinese does, so the situation determines the most natural verb.

Other meanings

  • carryverb
  • hugverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word