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百般 (bǎi bān) — in every possible way; by all means; in a hundred and one ways

Definition

百般 means 'in every possible way' and stresses exhaustive, repeated effort (often with effort verbs like 阻止, 照顾, 要求). Stronger than 千万, which is mostly used in imperatives to urge or warn a listener.

in every possible wayby all meansin a hundred and one ways

Examples

  • 百般。
    Tā bǎi bān zǔ zhǐ wǒ qù guó wài liú xué.
    He tried every possible way to prevent me from studying abroad.
  • 百般。
    Tā bǎi bān zhào gù shēng bìng de mǔ qīn.
    She cared for her sick mother in every possible way.
  • 百般。
    Gōng sī bǎi bān yāo qiú wǒ men àn shí wán chéng xiàng mù.
    The company demanded that we complete the project on time by all means.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

百bǎihundred
般bānkind

“百” (hundred) and “般” (kind) together mean all sorts or in every possible way.

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
一一yī
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái百bǎi
Same sound today

百 combines 一, which carries the number meaning, with 白, which provides the sound.

Open 百 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 般 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Quantity & Amount

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