布头 (bù tóu) — fabric remnant, leftover piece of cloth (from a bolt)

Definition

noun
fabric remnantleftover piece of cloth (from a bolt)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 布头。
    Zhè xiē bù tóu kě yǐ yòng lái zuò xiǎo yī fu.
    These fabric remnants can be used to make small clothes.
  • 布头。
    Nà kuài bù tóu shì shàng cì mǎi bù shí shèng xià de.
    That piece of remnant was left over from last time we bought cloth.
  • 布头。
    Cái feng shī fu bǎ zhè xiē bù tóu shōu jí qǐ lái mài gěi le shǒu gōng diàn.
    The tailor collected these fabric remnants and sold them to a craft shop.

Origin

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.

布bùcloth
头tóuend or leftover piece

布 means cloth and 头 means end or leftover piece, together naming a fabric remnant.

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
巾巾jīnkerchief
Sound part声符shēngfú
父
父fù布bù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Open 布 →

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 頭; 头 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yèhead
Sound part声符shēngfú
豆
豆dòu頭tóu
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 頭 shows 頁, meaning head, beside 豆 as a sound component; the simplified 头 is a later shorthand.

Open 头 →

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