罢了 meaning in English
a modal particle indicating (that's all, only, nothing much)
Meaning of 罢了
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- a modal particle indicating (that's all, only, nothing much)
- a modal particle indicating (don't mind it, ok)
How to use 罢了
罢了 goes at the end of a sentence to make something sound small or unimportant, often paired with 只是, 不过, or 无非 earlier in the sentence. It is a little more formal or literary than simply saying 而已 in casual speech, but both are common. Example: 我只是开个玩笑罢了。(Wǒ zhǐshì kāi ge wánxiào bàle.) I was only joking, that's all.
罢 (bà) means to stop or quit, and 了 (le) marks something finished. Put together, 罢了 says "stop there, that's all it is," which is why it plays down whatever came before it.
Common mistake: Learners often drop the 只是 or 不过 earlier in the sentence and use 罢了 alone, which sounds incomplete. Also note that 了 here is the neutral-tone le, not liǎo as in 了解 (liǎojiě). Read it as bàliǎo only in the separate sense of "forget it, fine."
罢了 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.
罢 bà · to cease · 10 strokes
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了 le · completed action marker · 2 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 罢了.
| 为了 | wèile | for; for the purpose of; in order to |
| 除了 | chúle | apart from; besides; in addition to (used to exclude, as in 除了他，誰也沒來|除了他，谁也没来[chu2 le5 ta1 |
| 极了 | jí le | extremely; exceedingly |
| 了解 | liǎojiě | to understand; to know about; to learn about; to find out |
| 了不起 | liǎobuqǐ | amazing; terrific |
| 受不了 | shòubuliǎo | unbearable; unable to endure |
| 不得了 | bùdéliǎo | desperately serious; disastrous |
| 得了 | déle | all right!; that's enough! |
| 完了 | wánle | to be finished; to be done for |
| 算了 | suànle | let it be; let it pass |
| 罢工 | bàgōng | a strike; to go on strike |
| 了结 | liǎojié | to settle; to finish |
Questions about 罢了
What does 罢了 mean?
罢了 (bàle) means "a modal particle indicating (that's all, only, nothing much)" and is used as a auxiliary verb.
How do you write 罢了?
罢了 is made of 2 characters: 罢 (10 strokes), 了 (2 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 罢了 an HSK word?
Yes. 罢了 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 罢了 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 罢了 is written 罷了.
What is the difference between 罢了 and 而已?
Both mean "that's all" and often follow 只是 or 不过. 而已 (éryǐ) is very common in both speech and writing. 罢了 carries a slightly stronger dismissive or resigned tone.
How is 罢了 (bàliǎo) used as "forget it"?
Pronounced bàliǎo, it can stand alone or close a thought to mean "never mind" or "oh well, fine." For example, 罢了，罢了，随你吧。(Bàliǎo, bàliǎo, suí nǐ ba.) means "Fine, fine, do as you like." This use sounds somewhat old-fashioned and appears often in novels and dramas.