TongTong
Sign in

修补 (xiū bǔ) — to mend, to repair

Definition

Mends small damage or worn spots (clothes, cracks, road surface); more piecemeal than 修理 (general fix) and lighter than 修复 (full restoration).

verb
to mendto repair

Examples

  • 修补。
    Tā men nǔ lì xiū bǔ pò liè de guān xì.
    They tried to mend the broken relationship.
  • 修补。
    Gōng jiàng yòng jiāo shuǐ xiū bǔ huā píng.
    The craftsman used glue to mend the vase.
  • 修补。
    Gōng rén zhèng zài xiū bǔ lù miàn.
    Workers are repairing the road surface.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

修xiūrepair
补bǔpatch

修 means repair and 补 means patching, together describing mending.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
彡彡shān
Sound part声符shēngfú
攸
攸yōu修xiū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

修 is built from 攸, which gives the sound, and 彡, a set of three strokes that shows the meaning.

Open 修 →

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 補; 补 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
衤Written in full as衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
甫
甫fǔ補bǔ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 補 shows 衤 (clothes) beside 甫, which gives the sound; the simplified 补 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical breakdown.

Open 补 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.