HSK 5 · Verbs

把握 bǎwò “to grasp (also fig.)” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 把握 means

  1. to grasp (also fig.)
  2. to seize
  3. to hold
  4. assurance
  5. certainty
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • sure (of the outcome)

How to say 把握

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale把bǎ3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale握wò4th tone, falling

把握 in a sentence

  1. 好好把握这个机会。

    Hǎohǎo bǎwò zhè ge jīhuì.

    Make the most of this opportunity.

    Sentence #339233 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  2. 我很后悔当时没有把握机会认识她。

    Wǒ hěn hòuhuǐ dāngshí méiyǒu bǎwò jīhuì rènshi tā.

    I really regret not taking the chance to get to know her back then.

    Sentence #338952 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters · translation adapted

  3. 买房要量力而行，但也要把握时机。

    Mǎifáng yào liànglì'érxíng, dàn yě yào bǎwò shíjī.

    When buying a home you should stay within your means, but you also need to seize the right moment.

    Sentence #3537589 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 把握 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 把 (bǎ) with each of its parts in a different colour
把bǎto hold; to grasp
  • 扌hand form of 手 · shǒuMeaning part
  • 巴to desire · bāSound part

扌 hints at the meaning (hand); 巴 (bā) hints at the sound. Compare it with bǎ.

The character 握 (wò) with each of its parts in a different colour
握wòto hold; to grasp
  • 扌hand form of 手 · shǒuMeaning part
  • 屋building · wūSound part

扌 hints at the meaning (hand); 屋 (wū) hints at the sound. Compare it with wò.

How to write 把握

把 7 strokes · 握 12 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

把握 (bǎwò) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 把握 (bǎwò). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 把握

Words with 把

把bǎ · pretransitive particle把关bǎguān · to check (quality)把手bǎshou · handle

Words with 握

握手wòshǒu · to shake hands掌握zhǎngwò · to master

More words: Common Verbs

爱惜àixī · to cherish安装ānzhuāng · to install熬夜áoyè · to stay up late包括bāokuò · to comprise摆bǎi · to arrange办理bànlǐ · to handle包裹bāoguǒ · parcel包含bāohán · to contain

FAQs

把握 (bǎwò) means “to grasp (also fig.)” or “to seize”. It is an HSK 5 word.
Say it bǎwò: bǎ with a 3rd tone, then wò with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 把握 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type bawo with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 把握 from the suggestions. Typing bawo into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
把握 is an HSK 5 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.