脯 (fǔ) — breast; chest (bound form, used in compounds)
Definition
脯 (fǔ) is a bound form meaning 'breast/chest', almost never used alone — it appears as the second half of compounds like 胸脯 (chest) and 鸡脯 (chicken breast).
bound form
breastchest (bound form, used in compounds)
Easily confused
- 铺pūlook-aliketo spread, to lay flat (e.g., a sheet, a map)
- 父fǔsound-alike(bound form, literary) old man, elder (in respectful compounds)
- 埔bùlook-alike(bound form) flat land near a river or ocean, used in place names
- 府fǔsound-alike(bound form) seat of government; government office
- 捕bǔlook-aliketo catch, to capture
- 斧fǔsound-alikeax, hatchet (bound form, used in compounds)
Examples
- ，。Tā tǐng qǐ xiōng fǔ, dà bù xiàng qián zǒu.He puffed out his chest and strode forward.
- 脯，。Zhè dào cài yòng de shì jī fǔ ròu, kǒu gǎn hěn nèn.This dish uses chicken breast meat; the texture is very tender.
- 。Tā de xiōng fǔ shàng yǒu yí dào bā hén.There is a scar on his chest.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
脯 has ⺼ (肉, meat) on the left to mark that it is about flesh or meat, and 甫 on the right to give its sound.
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