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布料 (bù liào) — cloth, fabric

Definition

noun
clothfabric
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • 布料。
    Zhè kuài bù liào mō qǐ lái hěn róu ruǎn.
    This piece of fabric feels very soft.
  • 布料。
    Zhè zhǒng bù liào zuì shì hé zuò xià tiān de qún zi.
    This kind of fabric is most suitable for making summer dresses.
  • 布料，。
    Wǒ mǎi le hǎo jǐ mǐ bù liào, dǎ suàn zì jǐ dòng shǒu zuò chuāng lián.
    I bought several meters of fabric and plan to make curtains myself.

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
料liàomaterial

“布” means cloth and “料” means material, together denoting cloth material.

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 →

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

料 combines 米 (rice) with 斗 (a dipper), showing rice being measured or gauged.

Open 料 →
Appears in
Materials & Substances

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