趴下
pāxià
In Chinese, the phrase "get down" is translated as 趴下 (pāxià).
The phrase 趴下 is used to instruct someone to lower their body quickly to the ground to hide or avoid danger. In an emergency, you can use 趴下！ as a sharp command to tell someone to hit the ground. Note that this should not be confused with phrases for exiting a vehicle or location, such as 下车 (to get off a vehicle), 下飞机 (to get off a plane) or 下楼 (to come downstairs).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 趴 (pā), which means to lie prone or prostrate and 下 (xià), which means down.
How do you pronounce it?
pāxià
Did you know?
- While 趴下 describes lying flat, the character 趴 is also used to describe the act of resting your chin and elbows on a table, such as a student daydreaming in class.
- The character 趴 (pā) contains the radical for 'moon' or 'month' (月), which is actually a shorthand for the 'flesh' radical (⺼) in many characters involving the body.
- The word 趴 (pā) can also be used metaphorically in Chinese to describe someone who is 'clinging' to something or someone, such as 'clinging' to a trend.
Examples in context
- 趴下！Get down!This example shows how to use 趴下 as a command.Tatoeba #5102178 by mirrorvan, translation #268087 by CM
- 下去吧 (Xià qù ba)Go down.
- 下来坐吧 (Xiàlai zuò ba)Come down and sit.
- 下来吃东西 (Xiàlai chī dōngxi)Come down and eat something.
- 快趴下，小心头上的东西！Kuài pā xià, xiǎoxīn tóushàng de dōngxi!Get down quickly, watch out for things above your head!
- 如果不趴下，可能会受伤。Rúguǒ bù pā xià, kěnéng huì shòushāng.If you don't get down, you might get hurt.
Example conversation
Zhiqiang and Yuting are playing a tactical game.
- 志强 Zhiqiang雨婷，快趴下！Yǔtíng, kuài pāxià!Yuting, get down quickly!
- 雨婷 Yuting怎么了？发生了什么？Zěnme le? Fāshēng le shénme?What's wrong? What happened?
- 志强 Zhiqiang对面有人在开火！Duìmiàn yǒurén zài kāihuǒ!Someone is firing from the opposite side!
- 雨婷 Yuting好的，我已经趴下了。Hǎo de, wǒ yǐjīng pāxià le.Okay, I've already gotten down.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
