书本 (shū běn) — books (as a collective), books and other printe…

Definition

书本 refers to books as a collective or abstract category, not a single physical book. The measure word 本 also counts 单本书 (individual books).

noun

books (as a collective), books and other printed materials

Measure word · 本

书本。
Tā xǐ huan cóng shū běn zhōng xué dào xīn zhī shi.
He likes to learn new knowledge from books.
书本。
Zhè xiē shū běn nèi róng hěn yǒu shēn dù.
These books have very profound content.
书本。
Lǎo shī jiàn yì wǒ men duō dú kè wài shū běn.
The teacher suggested we read more extracurricular books.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

书 and 本 both refer to books or volumes, together giving the collective sense of books.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

聿聿yùwriting brush

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.

Appears in