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活宝 (huó bǎo) — amusingly silly person; lovable clown

Definition

An affectionate term for someone who is always silly and funny, like a 'lovable clown'. 宝 ('treasure') signals fondness — the person may be goofy, but calling them 活宝 means you find them endearing, not annoying.

noun
amusingly silly personlovable clown
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 活宝，。
    Tā zhēn shì gè huó bǎo, měi cì jù huì dōu néng ràng dà jiā xiào gè bù tíng.
    He's such a lovable clown; every gathering he makes everyone laugh nonstop.
  • 活宝，。
    Wǒ men bàn gōng shì yǒu gè huó bǎo, gōng zuò de shí hou yě ài kāi wán xiào.
    There's a funny character in our office who loves to joke even while working.
  • 活宝，。
    Bié kàn tā píng shí xiàng gè huó bǎo, guān jiàn shí kè què hěn kě kào.
    Don't be fooled by his clownish demeanor; he's very reliable in critical moments.

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.

活huólively
宝bǎoprecious

活 gives 宝 a sense of lively, ridiculous behavior, pointing to an amusingly silly person rather than a literal treasure.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
𠯑
𠯑𠯑活huó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

活 is built from 氵 (water) and 𠯑, which shows the sound; 𠯑 later changed into 舌.

Open 活 →

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.

  • 宀宀miánhouse
  • 琡琡chùjade
  • 貝貝bèicowry

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

Open 宝 →
Appears in
Personality & Traits

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