趴下 (pā xià) — to lie prostrate; to fall flat on the ground

Definition

趴下 means dropping down flat on one's front — 'lie prostrate, hit the ground', often as a quick reaction (e.g. to gunfire). It implies the whole body face-down on the ground, unlike 躺下 (lying down, usually on the back) or 坐下 (sitting).

verb
to lie prostrateto fall flat on the ground

Examples

  • ，趴下。
    Jǐn jí qíng kuàng shí, yào lì kè pā xià.
    In an emergency, you must immediately lie flat.
  • ，趴下。
    Tīng dào qiāng shēng, dà jiā dōu pā xià le.
    Hearing the gunshot, everyone hit the ground.
  • 趴下。
    Tā pā xià zài cǎo dì shàng shài tài yáng.
    He lay prostrate on the grass to sunbathe.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

趴pālie prone
下xiàdown

趴 gives the lying-prone action and 下 adds the downward direction of the result.

Characters in this word

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
足足zúfoot
Sound part声符shēngfú
八
八bā趴pā
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

趴 is built from 足 (foot) for the meaning and 八 for the sound.

Open 趴 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

下 is drawn as a short horizontal line below a long curved line.

Open 下 →
Appears in
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