驳 (bó) — to refute, to contradict
Definition
驳 (bó) means to refute or rebut — to argue against a claim, view, or theory with counter-evidence. It is stronger and more formal than 反对, focused on disproving an argument rather than simply opposing it.
verb
to refuteto contradict
Examples
- 。Tā de guān diǎn xū yào bèi bó chì.His opinion needs to be refuted.
- 。Tā zài biàn lùn zhōng bó chì le duì miàn de shuō fǎ.She refuted the other side's claims in the debate.
- 。Zhè piān lùn wén yǒu lì dì bó chì le zhī qián de lǐ lùn.This paper powerfully refutes the previous theory.
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.
This origin belongs to the traditional form 駁; 驳 is its simplified writing.
Meaning part形符xíngfú
馬馬mǎhorse
Sound part声符shēngfú
爻
爻yáo駁bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.
The traditional form 駁 pairs 馬, a horse, with 爻, which gives the sound and can also be interpreted as marks; the simplified 驳 is a later abbreviation.
Appears in
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