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把柄

Mandarin · pinyin bǎ bǐng

handle
(fig.) information that can be used against sb

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Characters in this entry

把: bǎ · hold, take; guard; regard as
柄: bǐng · handle, lever, knob; authority

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

3–3 · ba3 bing3

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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 2 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

baa2 beng3

Cantonese word readings for 把柄. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

noun

(literally) handle (the part of a utensil that is easy to hold by hand)
(figuratively) information that yields a bargaining advantage to the other party in a lawsuit or argument; information that can be used against someone

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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