徘 pái — walk back and forth; hesitate · English

徘

pái

walk back and forth; hesitate

At a glance · 徘

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从彳（意符，行、道路），非声，本义为往返回旋。隶楷从彳从非，形声稳定。常叠用为「徘徊」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为往复行走，引申为犹豫不决。

Structure

形声字，从彳（意符，行走），非（fēi）为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinpái

Radical彳

Strokes11

UnicodeU+5F98

Character type形声

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English walk back and forth; hesitate To walk back and forth or hesitate.

Français aller et venir; hésiter Aller et venir ou hésiter.

Español ir y venir; dudar Ir y venir o dudar.

العربية يتردد؛ يتمشى أن يتمشى ذهاباً وإياباً أو يتردد.

Русский ходить взад-вперёд; колебаться Ходить взад-вперёд или колебаться.

Common words

徘páiloiter
徘徊pái huáipace

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