HSK · Level 113
45 words
Chinese word
拨
Pronunciation
Pinyinbō
Meaning
- verbcall
Example
她刚给妈妈拨了电话。tā gāng gěi mā mā bō le diàn huà
She just called her mom.
More examples
他试着拨通对方，但一直无人接听。tā shì zhe bō tōng duì fāng dàn yì zhí wú rén jiē tīng
He tried to get through to the other person, but no one answered.
Core concept
A hand-guided movement that selects, separates, or directs one thing at a time.
Common phrases
拨通电话bō tōng diàn huà
get through
拨开bō kāi
push aside
拨电话bō diàn huà
dial a phone number
Similar words
打电话dǎ diàn huà: Call someone on the phone to speak with them.
拨打bō dǎ: Dial a phone number to place a call.
拨号bō hào: Enter or dial a phone number on a phone.
拨通bō tōng: Successfully connect a call to the other person.
Definition in Chinese
按顺序拨打电话号码或通过拨号动作建立通话连接àn shùn xù bō dǎ diàn huà hào mǎ huò tōng guò bō hào dòng zuò jiàn lì tōng huà lián jiē
Word origin
拨 (bō, "dial or move") grew from a hand-based action word for shifting or plucking something, and this physical idea extended naturally to selecting numbers and directing people or resources.
Usage tips
- English often uses call for both entering a number and speaking with someone, while this verb highlights the dialing or connection step itself.
Other meanings
- dialverb
- assignverb
- pluckverb
Opposites
- 接听jiē tīnganswer the phoneverb
Related words
- 拨通bō tōngget throughverb
- 拨开bō kāipush asideverb