Chinese word

爬

Pronunciation

Pinyinpá

Meaning

  • verbclimb

Example

他会爬树。tā huì pá shù

He can climb trees.

Illustration for 爬 (climb)

More examples

孩子学着慢慢爬上去。hái zi xué zhe màn màn pá shàng qù

The child is learning to climb up slowly.

Core concept

A person or animal keeps close contact with a surface while slowly moving across it or up it.

Common phrases

  • 爬树pá shù

    climb trees

  • 爬上去pá shàng qù

    climb up

Similar words

上shàng: Move upward to reach a higher place or level.
上去shàng qù: Go up toward a higher place, with the upward direction in focus.
登dēng: Ascend a mountain, staircase, or other high place.

Definition in Chinese

用手脚抓住或借助物体支撑逐步向上移动的动作。yòng shóu jiǎo zhuā zhù huò jiè zhù wù tǐ zhī chēng zhú bù xiàng shàng yí dòng de dòng zuò

Word origin

In 爬 (pá, "climb"), 爪 (zhǎo, "claw") supplies the image of gripping, while 巴 (bā, "phonetic component") mainly signals the sound.

Usage tips

  • The verb applies to people, babies, and animals, so a cat on a roof and a baby on the floor can be described with the same everyday word; the scene supplies the needed detail.

Other meanings

  • crawlverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word