About
The character "拍", constructed from the hand radical (扌) and the phonetic component "白", originally centered on the concrete action of the hand striking or patting something lightly. This core notion of a hand-initiated impact naturally expanded into a range of related meanings and applications over the centuries, moving from the physical act of clapping or beating to more abstract and technical domains. Its semantic field grew to encompass the idea of rhythm and tempo, as seen in its use for musical timekeeping or conducting, and later, with technological advancement, it was adopted to describe the operation of cameras and the taking of photographs, conceptually a quick, precise action of the hand. While its traditional and simplified forms are identical, the character’s journey demonstrates a consistent conceptual thread from a simple manual gesture to a versatile verb applicable to both physical touch and metaphorical capture.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
小明在拍球。
我们一起拍手。
她喜欢拍照。
爸爸拍我的肩膀。
导演在拍电影。
他拍下了美丽的风景。
我们需要拍一张合影。
摄影师耐心地拍着每一个镜头。