Chinese symbol for “hold”
把
bǎ
to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch
The closest CC-CEDICT match for hold is 把 (bǎ), defined as: to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the object before the verb: 把 (bǎ) + {noun} + {verb}).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “hold”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 举行 (舉行) | jǔ xíng | to hold (a meeting, ceremony etc) |
| 拿 | ná | to hold; to seize |
| 抱 | bào | to hold; to carry (in one's arms) |
| 持 | chí | to hold; to grasp |
| 持有 | chí yǒu | to hold (passport, views etc) |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 把.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 把握 | bǎ wò | to grasp (also fig.); to seize |
| 把戏 (把戲) | bǎ xì | acrobatics; jugglery; trick; ploy |
| 把手 | bǎ shǒu | to shake hands |
| 把持 | bǎ chí | to control; to dominate |
| 把头 (把頭) | bǎ tóu | labor contractor; gangmaster |
See also: Japanese symbol for “hold”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.