扳

2 readings · tap one to hear it

to pull; to turn (sth) around; to turn around (a situation); to recoup

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

扌 meaning “hand” + 反 sound ( fǎn )

Components 扌反

tug · Heisig RSH #1898

fingers + 反 against

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
扳回一城	bān huí yī chéng	to recover some lost ground (in a competition)
活动扳手	huó dòng bān shǒu	adjustable spanner
扳不倒儿	bān bù dǎo r	(dialect) roly-poly toy
内六角扳手	nèi liù jiǎo bān shǒu	Allen key; hex key
扳本儿	bān běn r	to recoup losses (in gambling)
管扳手	guǎn bān shǒu	pipe wrench
扳道员	bān dào yuán	pointsman; switchman
扳指儿	bān zhǐ r	erhua variant of 扳指[ban1 zhi3]
扳龙附凤	bān lóng fù fèng	hitching a ride to the sky on the dragon and phoenix (idiom); fig. currying favor with the…
扳子	bān zi	spanner; wrench; CL:把[ba3]
扳动	bān dòng	to pull out; to pull a lever
扳机	bān jī	(gun) trigger
扳手	bān shǒu	spanner; wrench; lever (on a machine)
套筒扳手	tào tǒng bān shǒu	socket spanner
扳平	bān píng	to equalize; to level the score; to pull back the advantage
扳道	bān dào	railroad switch
扳本	bān běn	to recoup losses (in gambling)
扳回	bān huí	to pull back; to regain (one's dignity etc); to recover from (an adverse situation); to tu…
扳指	bān zhǐ	ornamental thumb ring (originally a ring, often made from jade, worn by archers in ancient…
扳价	bān jià	to demand a high price

Characters sharing the sound component 反 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
反 sound part	fǎn	reverse, opposite; contrary, anti-
板	bǎn	board, plank; plate, slab; unnatural, stiff
饭	fàn	meal, food; cooked rice
版	bǎn	printing block, edition; register; volume, version
贩	fàn	merchant, peddler; to deal in, to trade
坂	bǎn	hillside, slope
阪	bǎn	hillside, slope
舨	bǎn	sampan, wooden boat
钣	bǎn	metal plate; sheet metal
畈	fàn	field; farm