抱 Stroke Order — How to Write 抱
抱 is written in 8 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 扌, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
抱 Radical and Character Components
抱 is an ideographic compound. To wrap 包 in one's arms 扌; 包 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 + 5 more strokes
抱 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- bào
Meanings of 抱 in Chinese
1
bào抱
To embrace, to hug, or to hold in one's arms.
她轻轻地抱起熟睡的孩子。
She gently picked up the sleeping child.
To surround or embrace, as in a landscape or a structure.
这座村庄被群山环抱，景色宜人
This village is embraced by mountains, offering pleasant scenery.
To cherish or harbor aspirations, ambitions, or ideals.
她从小就抱着一个成为科学家的梦想。
From a young age, she has cherished the dream of becoming a scientist.
To harbor or hold (feelings, regret, or an illness) in one's heart or mind; to be filled with.
他因为错过了演出而深感抱憾
He deeply regretted missing the performance.
To fit snugly; to cling closely (like clothing to the body).
这条紧身裙穿在身上很抱身，完美展现了她的曲线。
This tight-fitting dress hugs her body, perfectly showcasing her curves.
To adopt a child; to take someone else's child as one's own.
他们决定抱养一个孩子。
They decided to adopt a child.
A measure word indicating an armful or an amount that can be held in one's arms.
她从花园里采了一抱鲜花
She picked an armful of fresh flowers from the garden.
To brood or sit on eggs (like a hen to hatch chicks).
母鸡正在抱窝，小鸡很快就要孵出来了。
The hen is brooding, and the chicks will hatch soon.
Common Words and Phrases with 抱
1
to be ill; to suffer from an illness
尽管他抱病在身，但仍然坚持完成了学业。
Despite being ill, he still persisted in completing his studies.
2
To be outraged by an injustice; to speak up for someone who has been wronged.
当她看到弱小者被欺负时，她总是会站出来为他们抱不平。
When she sees the weak being bullied, she always stands up for them and champions their cause.
3
To cling to old and outdated ideas or practices; to be conservative and resistant to change.
许多传统手艺人在面对现代工业冲击时，选择抱残守缺，坚持手工制作，这既是一种固执，也是一种对匠心的坚守。
Many traditional artisans, when facing the impact of modern industry, choose to cling to outdated methods, insisting on manual craftsmanship. This is both a form of stubbornness and a steadfast dedication to their artisan spirit.
4
To stick together or gang up, often implying an exclusive or collusive relationship, sometimes with a negative connotation.
在团队项目中，大家必须抱成一团，才能顺利完成任务。
In team projects, everyone must stick together to successfully complete the task.
5
6
to latch on to the rich and powerful; to curry favor with influential people.
小王刚进公司就想方设法抱上司的粗腿，希望能够快速升职。
As soon as Xiao Wang joined the company, he tried every means to curry favor with his boss, hoping to get promoted quickly.
7
to brood; to hatch eggs (of a hen or bird)
这只母鸡每天都在窝里抱蛋。
This hen sits on her eggs in the nest every day.
8
To make frantic, last-minute efforts or seek help only when in urgent need, typically due to insufficient prior preparation.
学生们不应该等到考试前一天才抱佛脚，平时努力学习更重要。
Students should not wait until the day before the exam to cram; it's more important to study hard regularly.
9
Aspiration; ambition; a lofty goal or desire.
他从小就胸怀远大抱负，希望能在科学领域有所建树。
He has harbored great ambitions since childhood, hoping to make significant contributions in the field of science.
10
to grasp a door bolt; to guard a city gate
他每日清晨都会来到城门口抱关，直到夕阳西下。
He would come to the city gate every morning to guard it, until sunset.
11
To feel regret or sorrow; to be sorry for something.
他没有及时向家人表达爱意，这让他抱憾终身。
He felt lifelong regret for not expressing his love to his family in time.
12
to harbor a lasting regret; to have a gnawing regret
他因为未能及时向父亲表达爱意而抱恨终生。
He harbored lifelong regret for not expressing his love to his father in time.
13
Harbor an eternal sorrow; regret to one's dying day.
未能向父母表达爱意，成了他抱恨终天的事情
Failing to express his love to his parents became something he regretted for the rest of his life.
14
To feel ashamed or guilty.
未能及时兑现承诺，他对此深感抱愧。
He felt deeply ashamed for not being able to keep his promise on time.
15
To feel sorry or apologetic; to regret.
很抱歉打扰到您，请问现在方便说话吗？
I'm sorry to bother you, are you available to talk right now?
More words with 抱
- hé合bào抱girth requiring two arms to encircle, of a span of one embrace
- huái怀bào抱embrace, bosom
- huán环bào抱to encircle or surround
- yōng拥bào抱hug, embrace
- gǒng拱bào抱To encircle or embrace.
- jǐn紧bào抱To hug or embrace tightly.
- lǒu搂bào抱hug, embrace
- jīn襟bào抱ambition, aspiration
- wéi围bào抱surround and embrace, embrace
- wēi偎bào抱to hug; to cuddle
- zhī蜘zhū蛛bào抱dàn蛋Cast-iron plant
- bào抱yǒu有hold, harbor
- bào抱bao抱Hug, Cuddle
- bào抱qǐ起pick up, lift
- bào抱shēn身hug, embrace
- bào抱wō窝brood, sit on eggs
- bào抱yǎng养Adopt, Foster
- bào抱yàng恙to be unwell, to be ill
- bào抱zhù住hug, hold
- bào抱yuàn怨complain, grumble
Idioms with 抱
- bào抱cán残shǒu守quē阙cling to old, incomplete things
- bào抱chéng诚shǒu守zhēn真embrace sincerity and uphold truth
- bào抱fù负bù不fán凡to have lofty aspirations
- bào抱qū屈xián衔yuān冤suffer great injustice and grievance
- bào抱tóu头dà大kū哭weep bitterly and uncontrollably
- bào抱tóu头shǔ鼠cuàn窜flee in a panic
- bào抱tóu头suō缩xiàng项cower in fear
- bào抱tóu头tòng痛kū哭weep bitterly in each other's arms
- bào抱xīn薪jiù救fén焚worsen a problem by wrong method
- bào抱xīn薪jiù救huǒ火add fuel to the flames
- bào抱yú瑜wò握jǐn瑾possessing noble and pure moral character
- bào抱zǐ子nòng弄sūn孙enjoying old age with children and grandchildren
Recommended tools
Character Highlight Animator
Choose character parts and animate their colors, together or in stroke order
Open the tool →
Writing Worksheets
Printable tracing sheets with a QR learning companion
Open the tool →
Stroke Order Animator
Turn a Chinese character or sentence into a GIF or MP4
Open the tool →
Bingo Cards
Picture and word Bingo for your class
Open the tool →Questions about 抱
What does 抱 mean in Chinese?
抱 (bào) means “To embrace” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 抱?
抱 is pronounced bào in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 抱 have?
抱 has 8 strokes.
How do you write 抱?
抱 is written in 8 strokes, starting from the radical 扌. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 抱?
The radical of 抱 is 扌, and 抱 is an ideographic compound.
