徘徊

Chinese

trad. (徘徊)		徘	徊
simp. #(徘徊)		徘	徊
alternative forms		俳佪 俳回 裴回 裵回

Etymology

A reduplicative, ideophonic compound in Old Chinese.

Compare 婓婓 (OC *pʰɯl pʰɯl, “coming and going”), 回回 (OC *ɡuːl ɡuːl, “revolving; turning”).

Verb

徘徊

1. to pace back and forth; to walk to and fro; to wander

   • 徐徘徊於山阿兮，飄風來之洶洶。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     徐徘徊于山阿兮，飘风来之汹汹。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Verses of Chu, 4^th century BCE – 2^nd century CE

     Xú páihuái yú shān'ē xī, piāofēng lái zhī xiōngxiōng. [Pinyin]

     Threading my way round the curves of the mountains,
     Till the whirlwind came with blusterous roaring.

   • 音樂博衍無終極兮，焉及逝以徘徊。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     音乐博衍无终极兮，焉及逝以徘徊。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Verses of Chu, 4^th century BCE – 2^nd century CE

     Yīnyuè bóyǎn wú zhōngjí xī, yān jí shì yǐ páihuái. [Pinyin]

     The music swelled and swelled into infinity,
     After that I left them and resumed my wandering.

   • 旦徘徊於長阪兮，夕仿偟而獨宿。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     旦徘徊于长阪兮，夕仿偟而独宿。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Verses of Chu, 4^th century BCE – 2^nd century CE

     Dàn páihuái yú chángbǎn xī, xī pánghuáng ér dúsù. [Pinyin]

     In the morning I wander on the long hill's bluff;
     In the evening I fearfully go to my lone rest.

2. (figurative) to linger; to hover around; to be reluctant to leave

   • 徐風至而徘徊兮，疾風過之湯湯。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     徐风至而徘徊兮，疾风过之汤汤。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Verses of Chu, 4^th century BCE – 2^nd century CE

     Xúfēng zhì ér páihuái xī, jífēng guò zhī tāngtāng. [Pinyin]

     The soft wind blew in uncertain eddies;
     The wild wind passed with a rushing blast.

3. (figurative) to hesitate; to dither; to waver
4. (figurative) to oscillate; to fluctuate; to vary (between two values)

Synonyms

• (to pace back and forth): 彷徨 (pánghuáng), 盤旋／盘旋 (pánxuán)
• (to hesitate): 彷徨 (pánghuáng)

Derived terms

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
徘	徊
はい Hyōgai	かい Hyōgai
on'yomi

Noun

徘(はい)徊(かい) • (haikai) 

1. prowling

Verb

徘(はい)徊(かい)する • (haikai suru) suru (stem 徘(はい)徊(かい)し (haikai shi), past 徘(はい)徊(かい)した (haikai shita))

1. to prowl, to wander, to loiter

Conjugation

Conjugation of "徘徊する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	徘徊し	はいかいし	haikai shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	徘徊し	はいかいし	haikai shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	徘徊する	はいかいする	haikai suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	徘徊する	はいかいする	haikai suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	徘徊すれ	はいかいすれ	haikai sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	徘徊せよ¹ 徘徊しろ²	はいかいせよ¹ はいかいしろ²	haikai seyo¹ haikai shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	徘徊される	はいかいされる	haikai sareru
Causative	徘徊させる 徘徊さす	はいかいさせる はいかいさす	haikai saseru haikai sasu
Potential	徘徊できる	はいかいできる	haikai dekiru
Volitional	徘徊しよう	はいかいしよう	haikai shiyō
Negative	徘徊しない	はいかいしない	haikai shinai
Negative continuative	徘徊せず	はいかいせず	haikai sezu
Formal	徘徊します	はいかいします	haikai shimasu
Perfective	徘徊した	はいかいした	haikai shita
Conjunctive	徘徊して	はいかいして	haikai shite
Hypothetical conditional	徘徊すれば	はいかいすれば	haikai sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

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Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
徘	徊

Adjective

徘徊

1. chữ Hán form of bồi hồi (“uneasy; restless; ill at ease; anxious”).