拔 meaning and stroke order
To pull up; to pull out; to draw out by suction
How to write 拔, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 8
Meaning of 拔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to pull up
- to pull out
- to draw out by suction
- to select
- to pick
- to stand out (above level)
How 拔 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 犮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 拔
拔 (bá) has the hand radical 扌 on the left, showing the action, and 犮 (bá) on the right, which gives the sound. Picture a hand gripping something and pulling it straight up out of the ground.
拔 is used for physically pulling things out, like teeth, weeds, or a gun, and also for picking people out for promotion, as in 选拔 (xuǎnbá) and 提拔 (tíbá). It also appears in 海拔 (hǎibá), meaning elevation. Example: 我昨天拔了一颗牙。(Wǒ zuótiān bá le yì kē yá.) I had a tooth pulled yesterday.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 拔 (bá) with 拨 (bō, to dial or to move with a finger), which also has 扌 but a different right side. Check the right part: 拔 has 犮 with a dot, while 拨 has 发.
Common words with 拔
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 选拔 | xuǎnbá | to select the best | HSK 6 |
| 提拔 | tíbá | to promote to a higher job; to select for promotion | HSK 7-9 |
| 海拔 | hǎibá | height above sea level; elevation | HSK 7-9 |
| 一毛不拔 | yīmáo-bùbá | (lit.) unwilling to spare a single hair (idiom); (fig.) extremely stingy | HSK 7-9 |
| 拔掉 | bádiào | to pluck; to pull off | |
| 拔枪 | báqiāng | to draw a gun | |
| 出类拔萃 | chūlèibácuì | to excel the common (idiom); surpassing; preeminent | |
| 拔河 | báhé | tug-of-war; to take part in a tug-of-war |
拔 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 拔
How many strokes are in 拔?
拔 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 拔 mean?
拔 (bá) means to pull up; to pull out; to draw out by suction. A common word with it is 选拔 (xuǎnbá), meaning "to select the best".
How do you pronounce 拔?
拔 is pronounced bá, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 拔?
The radical of 拔 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 拔 under this radical.
Is 拔 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 拔 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 拔 and 拉?
拉 (lā) means to pull toward yourself or drag along. 拔 (bá) means to pull something out of where it is fixed, like a nail or a plant. You 拉门 (lā mén) to open a door, but you 拔草 (bá cǎo) to pull weeds.
What does 一毛不拔 mean and how is it used?
一毛不拔 (yīmáo-bùbá) literally means not willing to pull out even one hair. It describes a very stingy person, as in 他一毛不拔 (tā yīmáo-bùbá), he is extremely stingy. It is critical, so use it carefully.