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播放 (bō fàng) — to broadcast, to transmit (by radio or TV); to play (a video, audio, or other media)

Definition

播放 is a verb for actively playing back recorded media — videos, music, podcasts. Unlike 广播 (which is the station broadcasting TO an audience), 播放 focuses on the act of playing content on a device.

verb
to broadcastto transmit (by radio or TV)to play (a video, audio, or other media)

Examples

  • 播放。
    Míng tiān huì bō fàng yí bù xīn diàn yǐng.
    A new movie will be broadcast tomorrow.
  • 播放。
    Wǒ xǐ huan yòng shǒu jī bō fàng yīn yuè.
    I like to play music on my phone.
  • 播放。
    Zhè ge jié mù měi tiān wǎn shàng bā diǎn bō fàng.
    This program airs at 8 PM every night.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

播bōspread
放fàngrelease

The hanzi "播" and "放" mean spread and release, so together they express broadcasting media.

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

播 is built from 扌, a hand radical, plus 番 as a sound part. The hand part marks it as something done by hand.

Open 播 →

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
攵Written in full as攴pūhand, action
Sound part声符shēngfú
方
方fāng放fàng
Same sound today

放 uses 方 for its sound and 攵, a hand/action part, to mark an action of release.

Open 放 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 6Media & News5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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