拔掉 (bá diào) — to pull out, to pull off, to remove (by pulling)

Definition

A separable verb meaning 'to pull out/off' (a plug, tooth, nail). Like other 离合词 it splits: 拔掉它 → 把它拔掉. Focuses on removing something by pulling, not cutting or unscrewing.

verb
to pull outto pull offto remove (by pulling)

Examples

  • 拔掉。
    Qǐng bǎ diàn yuán bá diào.
    Please pull out the power plug.
  • 拔掉。
    Tā qù yī yuàn bá diào le yì kē huài yá.
    He went to the hospital to have a bad tooth pulled out.
  • 拔掉。
    Zhè ge dīng zi hěn nán bá diào.
    This nail is hard to pull out.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

拔bápull
掉diàooff

拔 pulls and 掉 shows something comes off, so the action removes it.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
犮
犮bá拔bá
Same sound today

In 拔, the left side 扌 is a hand and the right side 犮 gives the sound; the shape pictures a hand pulling.

Open 拔 →

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

掉 is built from 扌 (a hand) and 卓, which gives the pronunciation.

Open 掉 →

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