把酒

bǎjiǔ

phrase #24,648

Meanings

1 to raise one's wine cup
2 to hold a cup of wine (literary)

Characters

to hold; to grasp; handle

alcohol; wine; spirits

Examples

把酒问青天，不知天上宫阙今夕是何年。

Bǎ jiǔ wèn qīngtiān, bù zhī tiānshàng gōngquè jīnxī shì hé nián.

Raising my cup, I ask the blue sky: in the palaces above, what year is it tonight?

他们把酒言欢，庆祝丰收。

Tāmen bǎ jiǔ yán huān, qìngzhù fēngshōu.

They raised their cups and chatted merrily, celebrating the harvest.

Tips

culture

把酒 is a classic literary phrase. Its most famous use is in Su Shi's (苏轼) poem 水调歌头: 把酒问青天 — 'Holding my cup, I ask the blue sky.' This line is one of the most celebrated in Chinese poetry and is widely memorized.

Stroke Order

把 bǎ

酒 jiǔ