How to Write 拚 (pàn) — Meaning “To risk one's life / to go all out”

Imagine you are using your hand (扌) to throw away a cap (弁) because you are so determined to take a risk. You are pushing the cap aside to focus on a dangerous but important goal. This image links the hand and the cap to the idea of going all out.

The left radical 扌 is written with three strokes: horizontal, vertical hook, and lift. The right part 弁 has five strokes: a left-falling stroke, then a horizontal, vertical, horizontal fold, and a final vertical. A common mistake is to write the right side as 并 (bìng), which has two dots at the top instead of the slanting line, so be careful to make the first stroke of 弁 a left-falling stroke.

The main difference is in the right side: 拚 has 弁 (a cap-like component), while 托 has 乇 (tuō, meaning to entrust). Their meanings are completely different: 拚 means to risk one's life or strive desperately, whereas 托 means to hold in the palm or to support. Visually, 乇 looks like a vertical line with a cross at the top, while 弁 has a slanting stroke and a box-like shape below.

拚 is used in formal or literary contexts to express extreme effort or risking one's life, as in 拚命 (pàn mìng, to risk one's life) or 拚搏 (pàn bó, to struggle/strive). It carries a strong sense of determination, often describing a person who gives everything to achieve a goal despite danger or difficulty. While not common in everyday speech, it appears in news, sports commentary, and motivational writing.

Common words containing 拚 include: 拚命 (pàn mìng) — To risk one's life / desperately; 拚搏 (pàn bó) — To struggle / to strive / to go all out; 拚死 (pàn sǐ) — To risk one's life / to the death.