How to Write 徘 (pái) — Meaning “To pace; to be irresolute (bound morpheme).”

Picture a person walking with two small steps (彳) while their arms are crossed in an 'X' shape (非) because they cannot decide. This image of hesitant walking helps you recall that 徘 means to pace or be irresolute.

The left radical 彳 has three strokes: two short left-falling strokes then a vertical. The right part 非 has eight strokes: a vertical, then two pairs of horizontal left-falling strokes. Keep both sides balanced — a common mistake is making the left side too narrow or the right side too wide.

徘 has 非 on the right, while 待 has 寺 (meaning temple/wait) and 徇 has 旬 (meaning ten-day period). 徘 focuses on pacing or hesitation, 待 means to wait, and 徇 means to follow orders or show off. Visually, 非 looks like two rows of lines, 寺 has a long horizontal top, and 旬 has an enclosing stroke.

徘 is a bound morpheme, almost always used in the word 徘徊 (pái huái), meaning to pace or hesitate. It appears in both literal walking back and forth and figurative indecision. It is common in literature and formal speech to describe a wandering or uncertain state.

Common words containing 徘 include: 徘徊 (pái huái) — To pace back and forth; to hesitate.; 徘徊不定 (pái huái bù dìng) — To hesitate; to be indecisive.; 徘徊者 (pái huái zhě) — Wanderer; one who lingers..