拍子 (pāi zi) — (noun) paddle, racket, or swatter (a flat objec…

Definition

Two distinct senses: a flat hitting tool (paddle, racket, fly swatter) and the musical beat/time you clap or sing along to.

noun

paddleracketor swatter (a flat object used to hit a ball or insect)beattime (in music)

Measure word · 个

。
Tā mǎi le yí gè xīn de wǎng qiú pāi zi.
He bought a new tennis racket.
拍子。
Dà jiā yào gēn zhe pāi zi chàng gē.
Everyone should sing along with the beat.
拍子。
Tā yòng pāi zi dǎ sǐ le cāng ying.
He killed the fly with the swatter.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

拍pāihit/beat

拍 (hit/beat) and 子 together denote a racket or a musical beat.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拍 puts 手 (hand) beside 白, which gives the pronunciation.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Appears in