白骨 (bái gǔ) — bones of the dead; white bones (often in literary or archaeological contexts)

Definition

Literary term for 'white bones of the dead' — bleached, exposed remains, often in archaeological, historical, or evocative writing. More graphic and literary than simply saying 骨头 or 尸骨.

noun
bones of the deadwhite bones (often in literary or archaeological contexts)
Measure word · 根

Examples

  • 白骨。
    Kǎo gǔ xué jiā zài mù xué lǐ fā xiàn le bái gǔ.
    Archaeologists found bones of the dead in the tomb.
  • 白骨。
    Xiǎo shuō zhōng miáo xiě de mǎn dì de bái gǔ ràng rén bù hán ér lì.
    The novel's description of white bones all over the ground sent chills down one's spine.
  • ，白骨。
    Jīng guò jiàn dìng, zhè xiē bái gǔ shǔ yú zhàn guó shí qī de gǔ rén.
    After identification, these bones belong to ancient people from the Warring States period.

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.

白báiwhite
骨gǔbone

白 gives the white color and 骨 means bone, together meaning white bones.

Characters in this word

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

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
肉肉ròu
Sound part声符shēngfú
冎
冎guǎ骨gǔ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The older form 冎 drew a bone; 肉, flesh, was added to make 骨.

Open 骨 →

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