八 (bā) means "eight" with radical 八 (eight), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: eight
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone form shows two curved strokes diverging away from each other, depicting the act of splitting or dividing something in two. It was originally a pictograph for separation, not for the number eight, and the phonetic borrowing for 'eight' came later.
Form evolution
Bronze and seal forms preserved the two opposing curves very clearly, with seal script showing elegant mirrored arcs. Clerical script straightened the curves into the two simple strokes we see today, and modern 楷书 writes it as 八 with a left-falling and right-falling stroke.
How the meaning evolved
The original meaning of 'divide, separate' was displaced when the character was borrowed phonetically to write the numeral eight. The original sense survives in 分, which added the knife radical 刀 to 八 to specify cutting apart. Today 八 is almost exclusively used as the number eight.
Cultural note
八 is considered lucky in Chinese culture because it rhymes with 發 (fā, 'to prosper') in Cantonese and several other topolects, which is why phone numbers and licence plates containing many eights sell at premiums. The original 'divide' sense is still visible inside 分, 公, and 半.
Basic info
| Pinyin | bā |
| Meanings | eight |
| Radical | 八 (#12: eight) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2 |
| Frequency | #1416 most common |
Example sentences
八点上班。
Bā diǎn shàngbān.
Start work at eight o'clock.
From 八 (HSK 1)
Words containing 八
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 八 | bā | eight | HSK 1 |
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.