肥皂泡 (féi zào pāo) — soap bubble; (figurative) something fragile or… | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally a soap bubble; figuratively, a fragile dream or illusion that bursts easily. The concrete image of a soap bubble is what makes the metaphor vivid.

noun

soap bubble(figurative) something fragile or illusory that soon disappears

Measure word · 个

Examples

肥皂泡。
Hái zi men zài yuàn zi lǐ chuī féi zào pāo.
The children are blowing soap bubbles in the yard.
肥皂泡，。
Tā de mèng xiǎng zhǐ shì yí gè féi zào pāo, hěn kuài jiù pò miè le.
His dream was just a soap bubble; it burst quickly.
肥皂泡，。
Zhè zhǒng fán róng jiù xiàng féi zào pāo yí yàng, jīng bù qǐ kǎo yàn.
This kind of prosperity is like a soap bubble — it can't withstand a test.

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.

肥皂soap

肥féifat皂zàosoap

偏正Modifier + head

"肥皂" means soap, and "泡" is a bubble; together they name a thin bubble of soap.

Characters in this word

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

肉肉ròumeat
卪卪jiéperson kneeling

肥 is built from 肉, meat, and 卪, a kneeling person.

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

氵包泡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

包

包bāo泡pào

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

泡 combines 氵 (water) and 包, which supplies the sound. It conveys foam.

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