Chinese word

拍

Pronunciation

Pinyinpāi

Meaning

  • verbtake a picture

Example

我用手机拍了一张照片。wǒ yòng shǒu jī pāi le yì zhāng zhào piān

I took a picture with my phone.

Illustration for 拍 (take a picture)

More examples

观众听到好消息，纷纷拍手。guān zhòng tīng dào hǎo xiāo xī fēn fēn pāi shǒu

After hearing the good news, the audience clapped one after another.

Core concept

A quick touch with the hand or an object that triggers an effect or leaves a record.

Common phrases

  • 拍照pāi zhào

    take a photo

  • 拍手pāi shǒu

    applaud

Similar words

拍照pāi zhào: Taking pictures with a camera or smartphone.
照相zhào xiàng: Taking a photograph of a person or object with a camera or phone.
拍手pāi shǒu: Bringing the hands together repeatedly to make a clapping sound.

Definition in Chinese

按下相机或手机快门以记录影像的动作；也可指用手或物体短促地触击或拍打的行为。àn xià xiàng jī huò shǒu jī kuài mén yǐ jì lù yǐng xiàng de dòng zuò yě kě zhǐ yòng shǒu huò wù tǐ duǎn cù dì chù jī huò pāi dǎ de xíng wéi

Word origin

The character 拍 (pāi, "to tap or strike") combines the hand radical with a phonetic element and extends from striking to the quick press that operates a camera shutter.

Usage tips

  • A nearby noun often settles the meaning: a camera or phone points to photography, while a hand or table points to a brief physical touch.

Other meanings

  • tapverb

Related words

Word lists with this word