怕

pà

忄 + 白

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

pà (verb) to be afraid; to fear

pà (adverb) perhaps; maybe

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 忄 represents the meaning and 白 represents the sound.

Semantic: 忄 Phonetic: 白

About

怕 is a phono-semantic compound. The left side features the vertical heart radical 忄, linking it to psychological states and emotions. The right component is 白 (white), which primarily provides the phonetic value for pronunciation. Some interpretations also suggest 白 may allude to a face turning pale with fright. The core meaning is fear or dread of something specific. It also developed a secondary, milder usage to express estimation or polite apprehension about a possible outcome.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我怕一个人在家。

Wǒ pà yīgè rén zài jiā.

I am afraid of being home alone.

他很怕黑暗。

Tā hěn pà hēi'àn.

He is very afraid of the dark.

孩子们怕这位新老师。

Háizimen pà zhè wèi xīn lǎoshī.

The children are afraid of this new teacher.

你不要怕犯错，要从中学习。

Nǐ bù yào pà fàncuò, yào cóngzhōng xuéxí.

Don't be afraid of making mistakes, learn from them.

她怕迟到，所以提前出门。

Tā pà chídào, suǒyǐ tíqián chūmén.

She is afraid of being late, so she leaves early.

如果你怕忘记，就设置一个提醒。

Rúguǒ nǐ pà wàngjì, jiù shèzhì yīgè tíxǐng.

If you are afraid of forgetting, set a reminder.

尽管他怕失败，但仍坚持完成了任务。

Jǐnguǎn tā pà shībài, dàn réng jiānchí wánchéngle rènwù.

Although he is afraid of failure, he still persisted and completed the task.

由于怕引起不必要的误会，他详细说明了整个情况。

Yóuyú pà yǐnqǐ bù bìyào de wùhuì, tā xiángxì shuōmíngle zhěnggè qíngkuàng.

Because he was afraid of causing unnecessary misunderstanding, he explained the entire situation in detail.

Related Characters

Component: 忄

Component: 白

怕