摆手 (bǎi shǒu) — to wave one's hand (in greeting, farewell, or to signal no/stop); to swing one's arms (while walking)

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning to wave one's hand (to greet, say goodbye, or signal no), or to swing one's arms while walking. Reduplicates as 摆摆手 for a brief, casual gesture.

verb
to wave one's hand (in greeting, farewell, or to signal no/stop)to swing one's arms (while walking)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 摆手，。
    Tā xiàng wǒ bǎi le bǎi shǒu, shì yì wǒ guò qù.
    He waved to me, signaling for me to come over.
  • 摆手，。
    Bié bǎi shǒu le, wǒ yǐ jīng zhī dào le.
    Stop waving your hand — I already know.
  • ，摆手。
    Zǒu lù shí zì rán yì diǎn, bú bì kè yì bǎi shǒu.
    Walk naturally, no need to swing your arms deliberately.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

摆bǎiwave
手shǒuhand

摆 means wave or shake, and 手 is the hand being waved, yielding the gesture.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 擺; 摆 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
罷
罷bà擺bǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 擺 has 手 (hand) with 罷 giving the sound bà; the simplified 摆 is a later shorthand, not the original shape.

Open 摆 →

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

手 draws a five-fingered human hand: the top line is a bent middle finger, and the horizontal lines show the other four fingers.

Open 手 →

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