驳 meaning and stroke order
Variegated, motley; to refuse, to dispute
How to write 驳, stroke by stroke
7 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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- 7
Meaning of 驳
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- variegated
- heterogeneous
- to refute
- to contradict
- to ship by barge
- a barge
How 驳 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Horse.
马 gives the meaning and 爻 hints at the sound.
Radical: 马 (horse), shared by 54 characters on this site.
How to remember 驳
驳 combines 马 (horse) with 爻 (yáo), a shape of crossing lines that gives the sound. Picture a horse with crisscross patches of color, a motley horse, and then imagine arguments crossing back and forth when you dispute something.
Today 驳 mostly means to refute or reject, and it usually appears in compounds like 反驳 (fǎnbó) and 驳回 (bóhuí), which is common in legal and official language. Example: 法院驳回了他的上诉。(Fǎyuàn bóhuí le tā de shàngsù.) The court rejected his appeal.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 驳 with 驴 (lǘ, donkey) or 驶 (shǐ, to drive), since all three have 马 on the left. Check the right side: 驳 has the double cross shape 爻.
Common words with 驳
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
驳 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 驳
How many strokes are in 驳?
驳 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 驳 mean?
驳 (bó) means variegated, motley; to refuse, to dispute. A common word with it is 驳回 (bóhuí), meaning "to reject; to turn down".
How do you pronounce 驳?
驳 is pronounced bó, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 驳?
The radical of 驳 is 马, which carries the idea of "horse". Dictionaries list 驳 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 驳?
The traditional form of 驳 is 駁 and 駮. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 驳 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 驳 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 驳 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 反驳 and 驳回?
反驳 (fǎnbó) means to argue back against someone's point in a debate or conversation. 驳回 (bóhuí) means an authority formally rejects a request, claim, or appeal.
What does 驳 mean in words like 斑驳 and 驳船?
In 斑驳 (bānbó), 驳 keeps its old sense of mixed colors, meaning mottled or patchy, as in an old wall. In 驳船 (bóchuán) it relates to ferrying goods, so the word means a barge.