罢 (bà) is a verb with two main sense groups: (1) 'to stop, cease, finish' — used as a standalone verb or after another verb as a resultative complement meaning 'finished doing' (e.g., 吃罢 dinner 'after eating dinner', 说罢 speech 'after speaking'), and (2) 'to dismiss, fire, or go on strike' — used in compounds like 罢工 (strike) and 罢课 (boycott classes). When used with compounds like 罢工/罢课, it can be separated by duration or measure words (e.g., 罢了两天的工 'went on strike for two days'). The word is relatively formal and common in written Chinese and set phrases.