火把 (huǒ bǎ) — torch (a portable light source made of burning material)

Definition

noun
torch (a portable light source made of burning material)
Measure word · 把

Examples

  • 。
    Tā jǔ zháo huǒ bǎ zài hēi àn zhōng qián jìn.
    He advanced through the darkness holding a torch.
  • 火把。
    Gǔ dài rén yòng huǒ bǎ lái zhào míng hé qū gǎn yě shòu.
    Ancient people used torches for lighting and driving away wild animals.
  • ，火把。
    Jié rì lǐ, rén men diǎn rán huǒ bǎ qìng zhù fēng shōu.
    During the festival, people light torches to celebrate the harvest.

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.

火huǒfire
把bǎhandle

火, fire, joins with 把, a handle, to mean a torch.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

火 is a simple drawing of a fire, with flames shown rising upward.

Open 火 →

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
巴
巴bā把bǎ
Same sound today

把 combines 扌, a hand, with 巴 for its sound.

Open 把 →
Appears in
Miscellaneous Objects

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