耙 (bà) — to rake (soil), to harrow
Definition
As a verb pronounced bà, 耙 means to rake or harrow soil, especially with a tractor-pulled harrow to level the ground before planting. The same character pronounced pá is the noun for the rake tool itself.
verb
to rake (soil)to harrow
Examples
- 耙。Nóng mín yòng tuō lā jī bà dì.Farmers use tractors to harrow the fields.
- 耙。Bō zhòng qián xū yào xiān bǎ dì bà píng.Before sowing, you need to rake the ground smooth first.
- 耙。Tā huā le yí shàng wǔ bà wán le yì mǔ tián.He spent the whole morning harrowing one mu of field.
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.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
耒耒lěiplow
Sound part声符shēngfú
巴
巴bā耙pá
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The left part 耒 is a plow, pointing to the meaning; the right part 巴 shows how it was pronounced.
Appears in
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