读本 (dú běn) — reader; textbook (a book for reading practice o…

Definition

noun

readertextbook (a book for reading practice or instruction)

Measure word · 本

读本。
Zhè běn shū shì yì běn hěn hǎo de zhōng wén dú běn.
This book is a very good Chinese reader.
读本。
Lǎo shī tuī jiàn wǒ men mǎi zhè běn dú běn zuò wéi bǔ chōng cái liào.
The teacher recommended we buy this reader as supplementary material.
读本。
Zhè běn dú běn bāo hán le gǔ dài sǎn wén hé xiàn dài shī gē.
This reader includes ancient prose and modern poetry.

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.

a book meant for reading, such as a textbook.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 讀; 读 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

言言yánto say

Sound part声符shēngfú

𧶠

𧶠𧶠讀dú

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 讀 is made of 言 ('to say') and 𧶠 (giving the sound); this description is about 讀, not 读.

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

本 adds a stroke at the bottom of a tree shape to mark the roots, giving the sense of foundation or original.