Definition
泼 (pō) has two distinct uses. For liquid, it means 'to splash/spill' — a forceful, often intentional action like sloshing or throwing liquid (compare 洒 sǎ 'sprinkle' which is gentler, and 溅 jiàn 'splash up' which describes liquid scattering after impact). For people, (colloquial) 'rude, coarse' describes a person's speech/behavior, stronger and more vulgar than 失礼 (shī lǐ 'discourteous') which is used in polite/formal apologies.
verb
to splashto spill (liquid)(colloquial) to be rudebrutishor coarse (in speech or behavior)
Easily confused
- 拨bōlook-aliketo dial (a phone number)
- 破pòsound-alike(adjective) worn out, damaged, broken
- 废fèilook-alike(verb) to abolish, to discard, to scrap
- 颇pōsound-alikerather, quite, considerably
- 坡pōsound-alike(noun) slope
Examples
- ，泼。Tāng tài tàng le, tā yì zhāojí jiù bǎ tāng pō chūqù le.The soup was too hot, so he got anxious and splashed it out.
- 泼，。Nà ge nǚrén shuōhuà hěn pō, dàjiā dōu pà tā.That woman speaks very rudely; everyone is afraid of her.
- 泼Bié wǎng biérén shēnshang pō shuǐDon't splash water onto others.
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