/ pǎi
verb #14,931

Meanings

  1. 1 to force
  2. 2 to compel
  3. 3 to press in on
  4. 4 urgent; pressing

Examples

Tā bèi pò fàngqì le jìhuà.
He was forced to give up the plan.
Shìqing hěn pòqiè, bùnéng tuōyán.
The matter is urgent and brooks no delay.

Tips

mistakes
Almost everywhere is read pò: 强迫 (to force), 迫切 (urgent), 压迫 (to oppress). The single common exception is 迫击炮 (mortar), where mainland speakers say pǎi.

Components

radical
chuò
walk; movement (radical form)
is the bottom-left walking radical, the side form of , drawn as a foot on a winding path. It is the indexing radical and supplies the meaning: is to press in on someone by coming up close. Same motion family: to force, to pursue.
phonetic
bái
white (here phonetic)
at the top-right supplies the sound, bái drifting to pò through the regular b/p alternation in this phonetic family. The white meaning does not carry over. The same phonetic gives to clap, to fear, to moor.

Stroke Order