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瑰宝 (guī bǎo) — (literal and figurative) gem, treasure; a rare and valuable thing

Definition

瑰宝 is a formal, written word for a rare and precious treasure, often used figuratively for cultural or artistic gems. Stronger and more literary than 宝贝 or 宝, which are everyday words for treasured things.

noun
(literal and figurative) gemtreasurea rare and valuable thing
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 瑰宝。
    Zhè bù xiǎo shuō shì wén xué jiè de guī bǎo.
    This novel is a gem in the literary world.
  • 瑰宝。
    Zhè xiē chū tǔ wén wù shì guó jiā de guī bǎo.
    These unearthed artifacts are national treasures.
  • 瑰宝。
    Bó wù guǎn lǐ zhǎn shì le yí jiàn gǔ dài guī bǎo.
    The museum displayed an ancient treasure.

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.

瑰guīprecious
宝bǎotreasure

瑰 suggests something rare and precious, and 宝 means treasure, giving the sense of a gem or valued thing.

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
𤣩Written in full as玉yùjade
Sound part声符shēngfú
鬼
鬼guǐ瑰
Same sound today

In 瑰, the left part 𤣩 is the jade sign, written in full as 玉, and the right part 鬼 gives the sound guǐ.

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
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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