把酒 (bǎ jiǔ) — (literary) to hold a wine cup; to drink | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary phrase: to raise or hold a wine cup, often in a poetic mood (e.g. drinking under the moon, toasting the sky). Used almost exclusively in classical or literary writing.

verb

(literary) to hold a wine cupto drink

Examples

把酒。
Tā xǐ huan zài yuè xià bǎ jiǔ.
He likes to drink under the moonlight.
把酒，。
Shī rén bǎ jiǔ wèn qīng tiān, gǎn kǎi wàn qiān.
The poet, holding a wine cup, asked the sky, full of emotions.
，。
Tā bǎ le yī xiǎo bēi jiǔ, màn màn pǐn cháng.
He held a small cup of wine and savored it slowly.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

把 hold and 酒 wine combine to mean holding a wine cup or drinking.

Characters in this word

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

扌巴把

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.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

酉

酉yǒu酒jiǔ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

酒 pairs 酉, the original picture for this word, with 水 (water), added later to distinguish it.

Appears in

Alcohol & Tobacco

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