pǎo

run

HSK Level 1

Example Sentences

我跑步很慢。

wǒ pǎobù hěn màn.

I run very slowly.

他跑得很快。

tā pǎo de hěn kuài.

He runs very fast.

我们一起跑吧。

wǒmen yīqǐ pǎo ba.

Let's run together.

Synonyms

(bēn)

run, rush

跑动 (pǎodòng)

run, jog

奔跑 (bēnpǎo)

run, sprint

Antonyms

(zǒu)

walk

(tíng)

stop

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Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 跑 (pǎo) for "to run" is composed of two parts: the radical 辵 (chuò), which indicates movement, and the phonetic component 夆 (bǎo), which is related to the sound of running. The character 跑 first appeared in oracle bone script, the earliest known form of Chinese writing, and has been used continuously since then.The radical 辵 is also used in other characters related to movement, such as 走 (zǒu, "to walk"), 逃 (táo, "to escape"), and 追 (zhuī, "to chase"). The phonetic component 夆 is also used in other characters related to running, such as 奔 (bēn, "to rush") and 馳 (chí, "to gallop").The character 跑 can be used as a verb, meaning "to run," or as a noun, meaning "a run." It can also be used in compound words, such as 跑步 (pǎobù, "running") and 賽跑 (sàipǎo, "race").The character 跑 is a common character in Chinese, and it is important for HSK learners to be familiar with its meaning and pronunciation.