(bǎi tuō) - to break free from, to shake off, to get rid of in Mandarin
bǎituōTraditional: 擺脫
Translation
to break free from, to shake off, to get rid of
Word origin
A compound of 摆 (bǎi, to sway, to shake) and 脱 (tuō, to take off, to shed), so to shake something off oneself.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 摆 (bǎi, to shake) + 脱 (tuō, to shed)
Stroke order
摆
脱
Examples
。
He finally got free of that job.
。
I want to break out of this kind of life.
。
She cannot shake off the fear inside her.
。
We shook off the car behind us.
。
He has been trying to get out of this trouble for ages.
摆脱 (bǎi tuō) is breaking free of something that clings: a bad job, poverty, a habit, a fear, a car following you. The image is physical, shaking a thing off, and the feeling is relief.
It is transitive and it is fussy about its object. What you 摆脱 must be unwanted and must have had a hold on you. Leaving a place is 离开, quitting a job neutrally is 辞职; 摆脱 adds the sense that you were stuck.
The potential forms carry a lot of weight in speech. 摆脱不了 means cannot shake it off no matter what, and 摆脱得了 asks whether escape is even possible. Learners tend to reach for 逃 instead, but 逃 is running away from a place, while 摆脱 is getting free of a condition.
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摆脱: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "摆脱" (to break free from, to shake off, to get rid of): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 47.