拨
bō
to push aside with the hand, foot, a stick etc
to dial; to allocate; to set aside (money); to poke (the fire); to pluck (a string instrument); to turn round; classifier: group, batch
hand (扌) + release (发) = push aside or pluck
发 originally meant to release or send forth — think of pulling back a bowstring and letting fly. Combine that release with the hand radical and you get a gesture of pushing, plucking, or dispatching something away with the fingers.
她用手拨开了挡在路上的树枝。
tā yòng shǒu bō kāi le dǎng zài lù shàng de shù zhī。
She pushed aside the branch blocking the path with her hand.
他拨了好几次电话，对方都没有接。
tā bō le hǎo jǐ cì diàn huà，duì fāng dōu méi yǒu jiē。
He dialed the phone several times, but the other party never picked up.
Words with 拨
点拨
diǎn bō
to give instructions
一拨儿
yī bō r
group of people
划拨
huà bō
to assign
四两拨千斤
sì liǎng bō qiān jīn
lit. four ounces can move a thousand catties (idiom)
土拨鼠
tǔ bō shǔ
(zoology) marmot (in the US, esp. groundhog or woodchuck)
拨子
bō zi
plectrum
弹拨
tán bō
to pluck (a string)
弹拨乐
tán bō yuè
plucked string music
弹拨乐器
tán bō yuè qì
plucked string instrument
挑拨
tiǎo bō
to incite disharmony
挑拨是非
tiǎo bō shì fēi
to incite a quarrel (idiom); to sow discord between people
挑拨离间
tiǎo bō lí jiàn
to sow dissension (idiom); to drive a wedge between