般

pán / bān / bō
verb #1,746

Meanings

  1. 1 used only in 般乐

Examples

HSK 7-9
Gǔyǔ " pánlè " shì wánlè de yìsi.
The classical word 般乐 means to amuse oneself.
HSK 7-9
Mèngzǐ pīpíng zhǐ gù pánlè, bù gù bǎixìng de jūnzhǔ.
Mencius criticized rulers who only amuse themselves and forget the people.

Tips

register
Classical-only reading, kept alive by a single phrase: 般乐 ('to amuse oneself, to revel'). It shows up almost exclusively in pre-modern texts like the Mencius. Modern Mandarin readers will not meet this pán reading outside classical literature.

Components

radical
舟 zhōu
boat
Left indexing radical 舟 (boat) - pictograph of a hull with planks. Original 般 meant to turn or convey by boat, which is why 搬 (to move/transport) added the hand radical. Same boat radical drives 船, 舱, 航.
semantic
殳 shū
halberd; pole-weapon
Right side 殳 depicts a hand wielding a long pole. In 般 it pictures the punting pole that turns the boat - boat + pole originally meant 'rotate, convey'. The abstract senses ('this kind, that kind') developed later via 'one rotation = one round = one type'.

Stroke Order

般 pán