驳

駁/駮

bó

爻 + 马

Frequency#2022

Definitions

bó (verb) to refute; to contradict

bó (adjective) variegated; heterogeneous

bó (noun) barge; lighter (ship)

bó (verb) to ship by barge

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 马 represents the meaning and 爻 represents the sound. Simplified form of 駁.

Semantic: 马 Phonetic: 爻

About

The character "驳" originates from the traditional form "駁", structured with the horse radical "馬" and the component "交" which suggests crossing or mixture. Initially denoting a horse with mixed colors or a spotted appearance, the term's meaning expanded from this physical description to abstract concepts of blending and contradiction, eventually leading to its modern sense of refuting or disputing in argument. The simplified form "驳" maintains this composition by replacing "馬" with "马" while keeping "交", and its semantic shift from visual pattern to verbal opposition represents a clear historical development in usage.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

河上有一艘驳船。

Hé shàng yǒu yì sōu bó chuán.

There is a barge on the river.

我驳回了他的申请。

Wǒ bó huí le tā de shēn qǐng.

I rejected his application.

律师驳倒了对方的证据。

Lǜ shī bó dǎo le duì fāng de zhèng jù.

The lawyer refuted the opponent's evidence.

这篇文章驳斥了错误的理论。

Zhè piān wén zhāng bó chì le cuò wù de lǐ lùn.

This article refutes the wrong theory.

他用事实驳倒了所有的质疑。

Tā yòng shì shí bó dǎo le suǒ yǒu de zhì yí.

He used facts to refute all doubts.

在辩论中，她有力地驳斥了对方的论点。

Zài biàn lùn zhōng, tā yǒu lì de bó chì le duì fāng de lùn diǎn.

In the debate, she forcefully refuted the opponent's argument.

尽管对方试图反驳，但我们的证据无可驳斥。

Jǐn guǎn duì fāng shì tú fǎn bó, dàn wǒ men de zhèng jù wú kě bó chì.

Although the opponent tried to refute, our evidence is irrefutable.

通过逻辑推理和实证数据，科学家彻底驳倒了那种荒谬的假说。

Tōng guò luó jí tuī lǐ hé shí zhèng shù jù, kē xué jiā chè dǐ bó dǎo le nà zhǒng huāng miù de jiǎ shuō.

Through logical reasoning and empirical data, scientists completely refuted that absurd hypothesis.

Related Characters

Component: 爻

Component: 马

驳