HSK · Level 71
75 words
Chinese word
罢了
Pronunciation
Pinyinbà le
Meaning
- particlethat's all
Example
他只是个学生，罢了。tā zhǐ shì gè xué shēng bà le
He's just a student, that's all.
More examples
这不过是个误会，罢了。zhè bú guò shì gè wù huì bà le
It's just a misunderstanding, that's all.
Core concept
A small frame around a fact that prevents it from carrying more weight than the speaker intends.
Common phrases
不过罢了bú guò bà le
That's all
Similar words
而已ér yǐ: Shows that the stated fact is all that needs to be said.
Definition in Chinese
常置于句末，表明某事不过如此、不过是某种情况而已，用来限定或淡化陈述的分量cháng zhì yú jù mò biǎo míng mǒu shì bú guò rú cǐ bú guò shì móu zhǒng qíng kuàng ér yǐ yòng lái xiàn dìng huò dàn huà chén shù de fèn liàng
Word origin
The phrase joins 罢 (bà, "stop") and 了 (le, "sentence-ending particle"), so the utterance is brought to a stop after the stated fact.
Usage tips
- Native English speakers may hear this kind of sentence ending as neutral, while Chinese listeners can also hear it as closing down further discussion or reducing the matter's importance.