Definition
趴 (pā) means to lie on one's stomach or lean forward with the upper body resting on a surface (e.g., a table, bed, floor). It describes a person or animal's posture. In contrast, 铺 (pū) means to spread or lay something flat, like a sheet or a bed — the action is on an object, not one's own body.
verb
to lie on one's stomach or to lean forward with one's upper body resting on something (e.g., a table, bed, floor)
Easily confused
- 其qílook-alike(possessive pronoun: his, her, its, their (used before a noun)
- 怕pàsound-alike(verb) to be afraid of, to fear
- 只zhǐlook-alike(classifier) used for one of a pair of animals, objects, or body parts; also for boats, certain containers
- 爬pásound-aliketo crawl (on hands and knees)
- 扒bālook-aliketo peel, to skin (remove the outer covering)
- 火huǒlook-alikefire (noun)
Examples
- 趴。Tā pā zài shāfā shang kàn diànshì.He is lying on the sofa watching TV.
- 趴。Xiǎo māo pā zài chuāngtái shang shuìjiào.The kitten is sleeping lying on the windowsill.
- 趴。Nǐ pā zhe kàn shū duì yǎnjīng bù hǎo.Reading while lying on your stomach is bad for your eyes.
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