罢

罷

bà, ba

去 + 罒

Definitions

bà (verb) to stop; to cease; to dismiss

ba (particle) final particle used for suggestions or mild commands

Etymology

Simplified form of 罷. Depicts a tired bear (能) trapped under a net (网). Based on the original meaning "tired, wear out". The meaning later shifted to "stop" and "quit".

About

The simplified character 罢 (traditional 罷) primarily means to stop, dismiss, or go on strike. Its traditional form juxtaposes the net radical 罒 above 能, which originally depicted a bear. This configuration represents a weary bear caught in a net, yielding the original meaning 'tired, wear out'. Over time, that sense evolved into 'stop' and 'quit'. The simplified version swaps 能 with 去 'go, remove', creating a new structure where the net and the idea of departure work together to imply cessation or dismissal. This combination effectively captures the modern usage of halting work or operations.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Cao Wei (Three Kingdoms: 222-280 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

算了，不打了。

Suàn le, bù dǎ le.

Forget it, let's not fight.

工人们罢工了。

Gōngrénmen bàgōng le.

The workers are on strike.

我不过是开个玩笑罢了。

Wǒ bùguò shì kāi gè wánxiào bàle.

I'm just joking, that's all.

他不达目的是不会罢休的。

Tā bù dá mùdì shì bù huì bàxiū de.

He won't stop until he achieves his goal.

由于天气恶劣，活动只好作罢。

Yóuyú tiānqì èliè, huódòng zhǐhǎo zuòbà.

Due to the bad weather, the event had to be called off.

也罢，不要再争论这个问题了。

Yěbà, bùyào zài zhēnglùn zhège wèntí le.

Alright then, let's not argue about this issue anymore.

议会投票通过了罢免案。

Yìhuì tóupiào tōngguòle bàmiǎn àn.

The parliament voted to pass the dismissal motion.

他不过是随口一说罢了，你别当真。

Tā bùguò shì suíkǒu yī shuō bàle, nǐ bié dàngzhēn.

He just said it casually, don't take it seriously.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 去

Component: 罒

罢