<p>"拜拜" comes from the English word "bye-bye".</p>

<p>"拜了个拜" is actually a joking form of "拜拜", which actually isn't "correct" in Chinese grammar.</p>

<p>This expression got popular from a Chinese translation for a sentence in Japanese comeday animiation (日和动漫). </p>

<p>The guy tried translating a sentence into "不是吧！" (This must be kidding me!).
But he found it doesn't fit the lips movement in the animation, so he added 2 syllables, and makes "不了个是吧！". "了个" here doesn't have any meaning.</p>

<p>What is interesting, there is a English phrase "bye-and-bye" that fits it perfectly.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-04T12:00:13.337Z
Interesting! I have seen 日和动漫 but perhaps there are more episodes than what I have watched. Thanks for the comprehensive explanation!
Thomas Hsieh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-04T09:42:19.000Z
2015-05-04T09:42:19.000Z
RnMss
<p>Well, it can simply translated into "Had a goodbye".</p>

<p>Some other examples: "冲/洗了个藻" -> "Had a shower/bath" "洗了洗手" -> "Had a hand washing", "睡了个觉" -> "Had a sleep", "吃了个饭" "Had a meal".</p>

<p>Nah, I don't think it's a dialect, more like to be an oral expression, very uncommon in written language, this kind of expression usually come with an attitude of not a big deal, and most likely he/she is in a good mood or at least not bad.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T08:16:19.533Z
Ah so it's a common pattern then. Thank you!
Thomas Hsieh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T08:20:55.097Z
@ThomasHsieh Yeah, you can say that.
Albert
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-04T09:51:48.370Z
No, these examples are not the same with "拜了个拜".  "了个" in "拜了个拜" doesn't mean anything, it's more like a word play.
RnMss
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-09T23:03:18.947Z
@RnMss Not exact the same since "拜了个拜" have a same word for both v. anf n., but, I still think they all have identical pattern.
Albert
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T08:12:02.500Z
2015-04-12T08:12:02.500Z
Albert
<p>"拜了个拜" has the almost same meaning with "拜拜"(bye-bye), and the word "了个" in it is just to make it sounds funny, not "had a", though in normal cases it's indeed translated into "had a".</p>

<p>...This pattern is now popular in Chinese slang.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-15T01:36:34.600Z
Reminds me of Ned "diddly" Flanders
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T14:02:51.207Z
2015-04-12T14:02:51.207Z
Anonymous
<p>Some times my dad would say so and I thought it was created by him.
拜了个拜 means byebye but more informalitly and smart.
（I actually thought only my family would say this word）</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-22T09:11:14.867Z
2020-06-22T09:11:14.867Z
charliechan
<p>拜了个拜 derives from 拜拜 by treating the first 拜 as a verb and the second 拜 as the object of the first 拜 and then adopting the verb+(quantity)个+object pattern.</p>

<p>拜拜 is just a loan word from English bye-bye and mean the same thing.</p>

<p>拜了个拜 is just a novel usage of the word.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T07:44:18.347Z
why repeat comments?
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T08:10:10.013Z
This is a good answer. It's not unknown to see a two-character verb that was not originally derived from a verb+object compound be treated as if it were. Another example I can think of is 小了个便. This kind of usage can connote a bit of playfulness in the tone of the sentence.
Claw
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-25T14:14:52.607Z
This is a good answer that also explains other similar expression like 喵了个咪. But in that case it reminds me of a daily abuse word. My bad.
River
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T07:15:45.943Z
2015-04-12T08:03:31.827Z
2015-04-12T08:03:31.827Z
user1228520
<p>I heard this phrase from some Chinese-speaking stranger. I assume it's related to farewell since the stranger was waving hand to someone else, but what does it mean exactly? Is there a certain context in which this phrase is used? </p>

<p>Also, is this a dialect? It looks different from the Chinese I have learnt.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T05:21:36.773Z
拜了个拜 variant of 拜拜 bye-bye formed according to Chinese grammar
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T05:33:02.477Z
What would the grammar be though? I thought 拜 is to display obedience, as stated on [wikipedia](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%8B%9C).
Thomas Hsieh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T06:24:26.913Z
analogous to  行了(一)个～礼／鞠了(一)个躬 with 行／鞠 and 礼／躬 both respectively replaced by 拜
user6065
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-12T15:48:45.833Z
Its just a word play by cute girl.I think if said by a boy then he must be a gay.
sfy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-04T09:49:27.780Z
@ThomasHsieh "拜了个拜" is incorrect in Chinese grammar. It is a just joking way of speaking "拜拜". "了个" doesn't mean anything.
RnMss
<word-choice><meaning><topolect><phrase>
What is the meaning of "拜了个拜"？
# What is the meaning of "拜了个拜"？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-04-12)

I heard this phrase from some Chinese-speaking stranger. I assume it's related to farewell since the stranger was waving hand to someone else, but what does it mean exactly? Is there a certain context in which this phrase is used?

Also, is this a dialect? It looks different from the Chinese I have learnt.

**Tags:** word-choice, meaning, topolect, phrase

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 拜了个拜 variant of 拜拜 bye-bye formed according to Chinese grammar  
> **username_0**: What would the grammar be though? I thought 拜 is to display obedience, as stated on [wikipedia](http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%8B%9C).  
> **username_1**: analogous to  行了(一)个～礼／鞠了(一)个躬 with 行／鞠 and 礼／躬 both respectively replaced by 拜  
> **username_2**: Its just a word play by cute girl.I think if said by a boy then he must be a gay.  
> **username_3**: @username_0 "拜了个拜" is incorrect in Chinese grammar. It is a just joking way of speaking "拜拜". "了个" doesn't mean anything.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_8 on 2015-04-12. Score: 8 | Accepted answer

拜了个拜 derives from 拜拜 by treating the first 拜 as a verb and the second 拜 as the object of the first 拜 and then adopting the verb+(quantity)个+object pattern.

拜拜 is just a loan word from English bye-bye and mean the same thing.

拜了个拜 is just a novel usage of the word.

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: why repeat comments?  
> **username_9**: This is a good answer. It's not unknown to see a two-character verb that was not originally derived from a verb+object compound be treated as if it were. Another example I can think of is 小了个便. This kind of usage can connote a bit of playfulness in the tone of the sentence.  
> **username_10**: This is a good answer that also explains other similar expression like 喵了个咪. But in that case it reminds me of a daily abuse word. My bad.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2015-05-04. Score: 4

"拜拜" comes from the English word "bye-bye".

"拜了个拜" is actually a joking form of "拜拜", which actually isn't "correct" in Chinese grammar.

This expression got popular from a Chinese translation for a sentence in Japanese comeday animiation (日和动漫).

The guy tried translating a sentence into "不是吧！" (This must be kidding me!).
But he found it doesn't fit the lips movement in the animation, so he added 2 syllables, and makes "不了个是吧！". "了个" here doesn't have any meaning.

What is interesting, there is a English phrase "bye-and-bye" that fits it perfectly.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Interesting! I have seen 日和动漫 but perhaps there are more episodes than what I have watched. Thanks for the comprehensive explanation!  

---

### Answer by username_4 on 2015-04-12. Score: 2

Well, it can simply translated into "Had a goodbye".

Some other examples: "冲/洗了个藻" -> "Had a shower/bath" "洗了洗手" -> "Had a hand washing", "睡了个觉" -> "Had a sleep", "吃了个饭" "Had a meal".

Nah, I don't think it's a dialect, more like to be an oral expression, very uncommon in written language, this kind of expression usually come with an attitude of not a big deal, and most likely he/she is in a good mood or at least not bad.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Ah so it's a common pattern then. Thank you!  
> **username_4**: @username_0 Yeah, you can say that.  
> **username_3**: No, these examples are not the same with "拜了个拜".  "了个" in "拜了个拜" doesn't mean anything, it's more like a word play.  
> **username_4**: @username_3 Not exact the same since "拜了个拜" have a same word for both v. anf n., but, I still think they all have identical pattern.  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2015-04-12. Score: 2

"拜了个拜" has the almost same meaning with "拜拜"(bye-bye), and the word "了个" in it is just to make it sounds funny, not "had a", though in normal cases it's indeed translated into "had a".

...This pattern is now popular in Chinese slang.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Reminds me of Ned "diddly" Flanders  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2020-06-22. Score: 1

Some times my dad would say so and I thought it was created by him.
拜了个拜 means byebye but more informalitly and smart.
（I actually thought only my family would say this word）


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