搬
to move (an object); to relocate
bān
What does 搬 mean?
搬 (bān) is the verb for physically moving a heavy object from one place to another — furniture, boxes, a chair, a piano — or, by extension, moving house or moving an office. It always implies physical relocation that takes some effort; you don't 搬 a pen or a phone, you just 拿 (ná, take) it. The two most common compounds are 搬家 ('to move house') and 搬走 ('to move away').
Two contrasts matter: first, 搬 is not used for moving people (use 带 or 接 for that); second, English 'move' covers everything from sliding a chair to relocating to another city, but Chinese splits these between 搬 (lift/carry to a new location), 移 (shift slightly), and 动 (general motion). 搬 is the right word whenever the object is bulky and the move is purposeful.
Note: Neutral and universally used. For moving house, 搬家 (bānjiā) is the standard term in both speech and writing.
Character breakdown
to move; to lift and carry
Memory hook: The hand radical 扌 on the left tells you it's something you DO with your hands — lift and carry something heavy.
Example sentences
我下个月要搬家。
Wǒ xià gè yuè yào bānjiā.
I'm moving house next month.
spoken
你能帮我搬一下这个箱子吗？
Nǐ néng bāng wǒ bān yíxià zhège xiāngzi ma?
Can you help me move this box?
spoken, polite
他们把桌子搬到外面去了。
Tāmen bǎ zhuōzi bān dào wàimiàn qù le.
They moved the table outside.
neutral
这个沙发太重了，一个人搬不动。
Zhège shāfā tài zhòng le, yí gè rén bān bù dòng.
This sofa is too heavy — one person can't move it.
spoken
Common phrases with 搬
Synonyms
移 is to shift or relocate, more formal and often used for small adjustments or for non-physical things (移民 'emigrate,' 移动 'move/shift'). 搬 is the spoken, hands-on word for lifting heavy stuff.
Don't confuse 搬 with
Same pinyin and tone but completely different meaning: 班 is 'class / work shift.' 我们班 ('our class') vs 我搬家 ('I'm moving house'). Look for the hand radical 扌 — that signals the verb 搬.
般 is a different character meaning 'kind / sort' (一般 'ordinary'). Also bān but never a verb on its own. Watch the right-side component carefully.
FAQ
Acquire by listening
Hear 搬 in real Chinese, not in a flashcard.
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