排 (pái) · to arrange, row, to line up

Meanings

1 to arrange
2 row
3 to line up
4 measure word for rows (of people or things)

Characters

排

pái

row; line; arrange

Examples

HSK 3

我们把桌子排好。

Wǒmen bǎ zhuōzi pái hǎo.

Let's arrange the tables.

HSK 4

请排好队。

Qǐng pái hǎo duì.

Please line up properly.

HSK 4

第一排的座位最好。

Dìyī pái de zuòwèi zuì hǎo.

The seats in the first row are the best.

Tips

usage

As a noun, 排 means row: 第三排 (the third row). As a verb, to arrange or line up.

Components

radical

扌 shǒu

hand (left-side form of 手)

Hand radical on the left - arranging things into rows, pushing aside, lining up are all manual actions. Same radical anchors 排 with 拉 pull, 推 push, 打 hit, 抓 grab. Whether you 排队 (line up) or 排除 (push out), the hand is doing the work.

phonetic

非 fēi

not; wrong; opposite

Right side 非 supplies the sound: fēi drifted to pái with regular f/p alternation. Faint semantic bonus: 非 pictures two wings spread out in opposite directions - the original symmetry image fits 排 'arrange in a row' beautifully. Same phonetic also gives 啡 (coffee), 排, 徘 (wander).