Dictionary › 抱

抱

bào

HSK 4 Character

What 抱 means

1. to hold
2. to carry (in one's arms)
3. to hug
4. to embrace
5. to surround
6. to cherish
7. colloquial(of clothes) to fit nicely

Example sentences

• 抱歉！
  I'm sorry!
• 抱我。
  Give me a hug.
• 抱歉？
  Excuse me?!
• 很抱歉！
  I'm really sorry!
• 别抱怨！
  Don't complain!
• 抱抱汤姆！
  Bàobào Tāngmǔ!
  Hug Tom.

Words starting with 抱

• 抱歉bào qiànto be sorry; to feel apologetic; sorry!
• 抱怨bào yuànto complain; to grumble; to harbor a complaint
• 抱负bào fùaspiration; ambition
• 抱有bào yǒuto have (aspirations, suspicions etc)
• 抱拳bào quánto cup one's fist in the other hand (as a sign of respect)
• 抱头痛哭bào tóu tòng kūto weep disconsolately; to cry on each other's shoulder
• 抱头bào tóuto put one's hands behind one's head, fingers interlaced…
• 抱佛脚bào fó jiǎo(fig.) to scramble to make up for a lack of preparation…
• 抱定bào dìngto hold on firmly; to cling (to a belief); stubbornly
• 抱团bào tuánto band together; to team up
• 抱抱bào bàoto hug; to give a cuddle
• 抱持bào chíto hold (expectations, hopes etc); to maintain (an attitude etc); to harbor (doubts etc)
• 抱死bào sǐ(of a wheel during braking) to lock up
• 抱病bào bìngto be ill; to be in poor health
• 抱石bào shí(sports) bouldering
• 抱养bào yǎngto adopt (a child)
• 抱不平bào bù píngto be outraged by an injustice (done to sb else)
• 抱抱团bào bào tuánFree Hugs Campaign
• 抱抱装bào bào zhuāng"hug shirt" worn by members of the Free Hugs Campaign (see 抱抱团
• 抱残守缺bào cán shǒu quēto cherish the outmoded and preserve the outworn (idiom); conservative…
• 抱睡bào shuìto hold a baby or child while they sleep; to spoon with one's partner
• 抱薪救火bào xīn jiù huǒlit. to carry firewood to put out a fire (idiom); fig. to make a problem worse by…
• 抱大腿bào dà tuǐ(colloquial) to cling to sb influential or famous
• 抱恨bào hènto have a gnawing regret

Words containing 抱

• 拥抱yōng bàoto embrace; to hug
• 怀抱huái bàoto hug; to cherish; within the bosom (of the family)
• 环抱huán bàoto encircle; to surround; to embrace
• 搂抱lǒu bàoto hug; to embrace
• 打抱不平dǎ bào bù píng(idiom) to aid sb suffering an injustice; to fight for justice
• 紧抱jǐn bàoto hug; to embrace
• 合抱hé bàoto wrap one's arm around (used to describe the girth of a tree trunk)
• 公主抱gōng zhǔ bàoto carry sb the way grooms carry brides across the threshold
• 投怀送抱tóu huái sòng bàoto throw oneself in sb's arms; to throw oneself at sb
• 左拥右抱zuǒ yōng yòu bào(idiom) to have a girl on each arm
• 抚抱fǔ bàocaress
• 熊抱xióng bàobear hug; to give (sb) a bear-hug
• 双臂抱胸shuāng bì bào xiōngwith arms crossed
• 拱抱gǒng bàoto enfold; to encircle
• 襟抱jīn bàoambition; an aspiration
• 背着抱着一般重bēi zhe bào zhe yī bān zhònglit. whether one carries it on one's back or in one's arms, it's equally heavy (idiom)…
• 平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚píng shí bù shāo xiāng , lín shí bào fó jiǎo(lit.) to never burn incense when all's well, but clutch Buddha's feet in a crisis…
• 临时抱佛脚lín shí bào fó jiǎo(idiom) see 抱佛脚

Characters built on 包

These share the phonetic component 包 (bāo), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 跑pǎoto run; to run away; to escape
• 胞bāoplacenta; womb; born of the same parents
• 泡pàobubble; foam; blister; to soak; to steep; to infuse
• 炮pàocannon; firecracker
• 鲍bàoabalone
• 饱bǎoto eat till full; satisfied
• 袍páogown (lined)
• 疱pàopimple; acne; blister

Characters that look like 抱

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 拖tuōto drag; to tow; to trail
• 胞bāoplacenta; womb; born of the same parents
• 炮pàocannon; firecracker
• 挖wāto dig; to excavate; to scoop out
• 拢lǒngto gather together; to collect; to approach; to draw near to; to add; to sum up
• 孢bāospore

Sounds the same

Read bào, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 报to report; to inform; to announce; to respond; to reply; to sign up for…
• 暴sudden; violent; cruel
• 爆to explode; to burst; to stir-fry briefly; to quick-boil
• 曝used in 曝光; Taiwan pr. pù
• 豹leopard; panther
• 刨carpenter's plane; to plane (woodwork); to shave off
• 鲍abalone
• 瀑shower (rain)
• 趵jump; leap
• 菢hatch
• 虣cruel; violent
• 儤on night duty