pǒu / póu
verb

Meanings

  1. 1 to break apart; to smash
  2. 2 to strike; to attack

Examples

Tā xián húlu wúyòng, biàn pǒu le tā.
Finding the gourd useless, he smashed it to pieces.

Tips

register
The reading ('break up; smash') is classical, famous from the gourd-smashing line in 《庄子》. The everyday reading is ('scoop with both hands').

Components

radical
shǒu
hand
Left side is the hand radical in side form, fitting a verb of scooping or grasping with the hands.
phonetic
pǒu
sound element
Right side is the phonetic, anchoring the póu / pǒu family of readings; the same element appears in and .

Stroke Order

pǒu