bǎi
to arrange; set in order; pendulum; lower hem (of a gown/jacket/skirt)
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我把书摆在桌子上。
Wǒ bǎ shū bǎi zài zhuōzi shàng.
I put the book on the table.
他把衣服摆在床上。
Tā bǎ yīfu bǎi zài chuáng shàng.
He put the clothes on the bed.
我们把食物摆在桌子上。
Wǒmen bǎ shíwù bǎi zài zhuōzi shàng.
We put the food on the table.
收 (shōu)
put away
藏 (cáng)
hide
The Chinese character 摆 (bǎi) is composed of two parts: the radical 扌(shǒu), which indicates that the character is related to hand or action, and the phonetic component 拝 (bài), which provides a clue to its pronunciation. The original meaning of 摆 is "to arrange" or "to put in order", which can be traced back to the oracle bone script. In the oracle bone script, 摆 is depicted as a hand holding a ritual vessel, suggesting the act of arranging or offering sacrifices. Over time, the meaning of 摆 expanded to include "to wave", "to shake", and "to swing", all of which involve the movement of the hand. In modern Chinese, 摆 is commonly used in the sense of "to place" or "to put", as in 摆放 (bǎifàng, "to place") and 摆设 (bǎishè, "to decorate"). It can also be used in the sense of "to wave" or "to shake", as in 摆手 (bǎishǒu, "to wave one's hand") and 摆动 (bǎidòng, "to swing").
