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播 (bō) — to sow (seeds); to broadcast (news, programs); to spread (information)

Definition

A verb whose two main senses hinge on context: 播种/撒种 (sow seeds) vs. 播放/广播 (broadcast news, programs). For 'broadcast' as a standalone verb, 播放 is more common for media.

verb
to sow (seeds)to broadcast (news, programs)to spread (information)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 播。
    Diàn shì tái měi tiān wǎn shàng qī diǎn bō xīn wén.
    The TV station broadcasts news at 7 pm every day.
  • 。
    Chūn tiān nóng mín zài tián lǐ bō zhòng.
    Farmers sow seeds in the fields.
  • 。
    Zhè ge xiāo xi bù néng suí biàn zài wǎng shàng chuán bō.
    This news cannot be spread online casually.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Agriculture & FarmingMedia & News5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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