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刀把 (dāo bǎ) — knife handle, sword hilt

Definition

刀把 (dāobǎ) literally means 'knife handle' — the part of a knife or sword you grip. 柄 also means handle but is more general, used for any tool; 刀把 is specific to bladed weapons.

noun
knife handlesword hilt
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 刀把。
    Zhè bǎ dāo de dāo bǎ shì yòng mù tou zuò de.
    The handle of this knife is made of wood.
  • 刀把，。
    Tā jǐn wò zhe dāo bǎ, zhǔn bèi qiē cài.
    He gripped the knife handle tightly, ready to cut vegetables.
  • 刀把。
    Gǔ dǒng jiàn de dāo bǎ shàng kè zhe jīng měi de huā wén.
    The hilt of the antique sword is carved with exquisite patterns.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

刀dāoknife
把bǎhandle

刀 把 joins 刀, knife, with 把, handle, meaning the handle of a knife.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 刀 comes from a simple picture of a knife.

Open 刀 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
巴
巴bā把bǎ
Same sound today

把 combines 扌, a hand, with 巴 for its sound.

Open 把 →
Appears in
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