拨 (bō) — to dial (a phone number); to allocate; to set aside (money or resources); (classifier) used for groups, batches
Definition
拨 (bō) covers two main senses: 'to dial' (a phone) — paired with 拨打 for emphasis — and 'to allocate/set aside' resources, similar to 搁置. As a classifier, it counts groups or batches, narrower than 宗 (cases, transactions).
verb
to dial (a phone number)to allocateto set aside (money or resources)
classifier
used for groupsbatches
Examples
- 拨，。Wǒ bō le tā de diàn huà hào mǎ, dàn shì méi rén jiē.I dialed his phone number, but no one answered.
- 拨。Gōng sī bō le yì bǐ qián yòng yú yán jiū.The company allocated a sum of money for research.
- 拨。Dì yī bō yóu kè yǐ jīng chū fā le.The first batch of tourists has already set off.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 撥; 拨 is its simplified writing.
Sound part声符shēngfú
發
發fā撥bō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 撥 combines 手 (hand) with 發, which gives the sound; the simplified 拨 is a different form.
Appears in
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