(pā xià) - to lie down flat, to get down on the ground in Mandarin
pāxiàTraditional: 趴下
Translation
to lie down flat, to get down on the ground
Word origin
A compound of 趴 (pā, to lie face down) and the directional complement 下 (xià, down), so literally to go prone downwards.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 趴 (pā, lie face down) + 下 (xià, down)
Stroke order
趴
下
Examples
！
Get down, quick!
。
The police told everyone to get down on the ground.
蚂蚁。
The children lay down to look at the ants on the ground.
。
He lay down and fell asleep straight away.
。
The dog lay down and waited for its owner to come back.
趴下 is lying down face first, not on your back. The 趴 part carries the prone posture: chest and stomach against the surface. 躺下 (tǎng xià) is the neutral "lie down" that covers any position, so if someone is stretching out on a sofa you want 躺下, not 趴下.
As a bark of command it is everywhere in action films and drills: 快趴下！ means "get down!" and implies flat on the floor, out of the line of fire. Nobody says it politely.
The trap for English speakers is treating "lie down" as one word in Chinese. It is not: the posture is chosen for you by the verb. Face down is 趴, on your back is 躺, and a dog settling on the rug is 趴下 too.
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趴下: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "趴下" (to lie down flat, to get down on the ground): 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 42.