宝石 (bǎo shí) — precious stone; gem | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

宝石 refers to a cut, polished precious stone (jewelry-grade). 珠宝 is the broader collective 'jewelry/gems', and 钻石 is specifically a diamond.

noun

precious stonegem

Measure word · 枚, 颗

宝石。
Zhè méi bǎo shí shì tā shōu dào de shēng rì lǐ wù.
This gem is the birthday gift she received.
宝石。
Zhè kē bǎo shí zài guāng xiàn xià fā liàng.
This gem shines in the light.
宝石。
Tā de jiè zhi shàng xiāng qiàn le yì kē bǎo shí.
Her ring is set with a gem.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

宝bǎoprecious

宝 precious and 石 stone combine as a precious stone, meaning gem.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 寶; 宝 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 寶 shows 宀 (house), 琡 (jade), and 貝 (cowry), drawn together as treasures in a house.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape of 石 shows a stone under a cliff-like overhang, or a cave set into a cliff side.

Appears in