把 bǎ / bà — (a measure word); (marker for direct-object); to hold; to contain; to grasp; to take hold of
请把门关上。Qǐng bǎ mén guān shàng.Please close the door.
Common words: 把握 (bǎ wò)、把手 (bǎ shǒu)、把戏 (bǎ xì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to contain"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to contain", including 把 (bǎ / bà), 容 (róng), 含 (hán). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to contain" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 把 (bǎ / bà), 容 (róng), 含 (hán) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bǎ, bà, róng, hán — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 把 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 把 bǎ / bà(a measure word); (marker for direct-object); to hold; to contain; to grasp; to take hold ofUseful words: 把握, 把手
- 容 róngto hold; to contain; to allow; appearance; look; countenanceUseful words: 容易, 内容
- 含 hánto keep; to containUseful words: 含量, 含有
Common words for these 3 "to contain" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 把 (bǎ / bà) — so "to contain" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
把握bǎ wòto grasp (also fig.); to seize; to hold; assurance把手bǎ shǒuto shake hands把戏bǎ xìacrobatics; jugglery; trick; ploy容易róng yìeasy; straightforward; likely; liable to内容nèi róngcontent; substance; details形容xíng róngto describe; (literary) countenance; appearance含量hán liàngcontent; quantity contained含有hán yǒuto contain; including包含bāo hánto contain; to embody; to include
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "to contain".
容 róng — to hold; to contain; to allow; appearance; look; countenance
这个教室能容纳五十个学生。Zhè ge jiào shì néng róng nà wǔ shí ge xué sheng.This classroom can hold fifty students.
Common words: 容易 (róng yì)、内容 (nèi róng)、形容 (xíng róng)
含 hán — to keep; to contain
橙子里含有丰富的维生素。Chéng zi lǐ hán yǒu fēng fù de wéi shēng sù.Oranges contain abundant vitamins.
Common words: 含量 (hán liàng)、含有 (hán yǒu)、包含 (bāo hán)
All 3 characters
Open 把、容、含 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.