Meaning of 拔
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to pull up
- to pull out
- to draw out by suction
- to select
- to pick
- to stand out (above level)
- to surpass
- to seize
How to use 拔
拔 is used for physically pulling things out, such as teeth, weeds, nails or a gun from its holster, and also in abstract words like 选拔 (xuǎnbá, to select the best) and 提拔 (tíbá, to promote). Example: 医生帮我拔了一颗牙。(Yīshēng bāng wǒ bá le yī kē yá.) The doctor pulled one of my teeth.
拔 (bá) has the hand radical 扌 on the left, so picture a hand gripping something and yanking it up and out, like pulling a weed from the ground.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 拔 (bá) with 拨 (bō, to dial; to allocate), which also has 扌 and a very similar right side. Remember that 拔 means pulling out, while 拨 is what you do to a phone number, as in 拨号 (bōhào).
拔 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.
拔 bá · to pull up · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 拔.
| 选拔 | xuǎnbá | to select the best |
| 提拔 | tíbá | to promote to a higher job; to select for promotion |
| 海拔 | hǎibá | height above sea level; elevation |
| 一毛不拔 | yīmáo-bùbá | (lit.) unwilling to spare a single hair (idiom); (fig.) extremely stingy |
| 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 |
Questions about 拔
What does 拔 mean?
拔 (bá) means "to pull up; to pull out" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 拔?
拔 is made of 1 character: 拔 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 拔 an HSK word?
Yes. 拔 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 拔 and 拉?
拉 (lā) means to pull something along or toward you, like pulling a door or a suitcase. 拔 (bá) means to pull something out of where it is fixed, like a tooth, a plant or a plug.
Why does 海拔 mean elevation?
海拔 (hǎibá) literally combines sea 海 with rising up or standing out 拔, so it describes how high a place rises above sea level. You will see it on maps and signs, for example 海拔三千米 (hǎibá sānqiān mǐ), 3,000 meters above sea level.