摆

擺
bǎi
verb HSK 6 #1,629

Meanings

  1. 1 to arrange
  2. 2 to place
  3. 3 to put
  4. 4 to swing

Characters

Contains the hand radical 扌, as arranging and placing are done by hand.

Examples

HSK 2
Zhuōzi shàng bǎi zhe jǐ běn shū.
There are a few books placed on the table.
HSK 5
Tā zài bǎi zīshì pāizhào.
She's posing for a photo.
HSK 7-9
请把碗筷摆好。
Qǐng bǎ wǎnkuài bǎi hǎo.
Please set the dishes and chopsticks.

Tips

usage
摆摊 (bǎi tān) means to set up a street stall. 摆姿势 means to strike a pose. 摆架子 means to put on airs.

Components

radical
扌 shǒu
hand (radical form)
Hand radical on the left - also 摆's indexing radical (side-form of 手). Direct semantic anchor: 摆 covers a whole range of hand-actions - to place, arrange, sway, wave, swing. Same radical in 拍, 推, 拉, 摇, 抓 - the entire active-hand family.
phonetic
罢 bà
stop; cease; finish
Right side 罢 supplies the sound: bà → bǎi with only a tone shift. The traditional form 擺 had 罷 here, simplified to 罢 in 1956 along with all 罷-containing chars. Pure phonetic role; the 'stop, finish' meaning of 罢 has no overlap with 摆's swinging/arranging senses.

Stroke Order

摆 bǎi