办法 meaning in English
way of handling sth; means; measure; (practical) solution to a problem
Meaning of 办法
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- way of handling sth; means; measure; (practical) solution to a problem
Measure word: 條|条
How to use 办法
办法 is very common in daily speech, especially in the patterns 有办法 (have a way) and 没有办法 / 没办法 (there is nothing to be done). 没办法 alone is often said with a sigh to mean "oh well, it can't be helped." Example: 我们想个办法吧。(Wǒmen xiǎng ge bànfǎ ba.) Let's think of a solution.
办 (bàn) means to handle or do something, and 法 (fǎ) means a method or way. Put them together and you get "a way to handle it," which is a practical solution.
Common mistake: Learners often use 办法 and 方法 (fāngfǎ) interchangeably. 办法 is a fix for a specific problem, while 方法 is a general method or technique, as in 学习方法 (study method). Also keep 办 (bàn) in the fourth tone. Do not confuse it with 半 (bàn, half) when writing.
办法 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
办 bàn · to take care of · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
法 fǎ · law · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 办法.
| 怎么办 | zěnme bàn | what's to be done |
| 想法 | xiǎngfǎ | way of thinking; opinion; notion; to think of a way (to do sth) |
| 办公室 | bàngōngshì | office; business premises |
| 方法 | fāngfǎ | method; way; technique; procedure |
| 看法 | kànfǎ | way of looking at a thing; view |
| 做法 | zuòfǎ | way of handling sth; method for making |
| 合法 | héfǎ | lawful; legitimate |
| 举办 | jǔbàn | to conduct; to hold (an event) |
| 办理 | bànlǐ | to handle; to transact; to conduct |
| 无法 | wúfǎ | unable to; incapable of |
| 法律 | fǎlǜ | law |
| 法官 | fǎguān | judge (in court) |
Questions about 办法
What does 办法 mean?
办法 (bànfǎ) means "way of handling sth; means; measure; (practical) solution to a problem" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 办法?
办法 is made of 2 characters: 办 (4 strokes), 法 (8 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 办法 an HSK word?
Yes. 办法 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 办法 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 办法 is written 辦法.
What does 没办法 mean when people say it in conversation?
Literally it means "there is no way." In conversation it usually expresses resignation, like "it can't be helped" or "what can you do." For example, 下雨了，没办法，只能在家。means "It's raining, oh well, we have to stay home."
What verbs go with 办法?
The most common are 想 (xiǎng) in 想办法 (think of a way), 有 (yǒu) in 有办法 (have a way), and 找 (zhǎo) in 找办法 (look for a way). 有办法 can also describe a resourceful person, as in 他很有办法。(He is very resourceful.)