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起泡 (qǐ pāo) — to bubble, to foam (of liquids); to get blisters (on skin)

Definition

起泡 covers two senses: a liquid bubbling or foaming up, and skin forming blisters. The verb is intransitive — 泡 is the result, not an object.

verb
to bubbleto foam (of liquids)to get blisters (on skin)

Examples

  • ，起泡。
    Shuǐ kāi le, kāi shǐ qǐ pāo le.
    The water is boiling and starting to bubble.
  • ，。
    Tā zǒu le hěn jiǔ, jiǎo shàng qǐ le pào.
    He walked for a long time and got blisters on his feet.
  • 起泡。
    Zhè zhǒng féi zào hěn róng yì qǐ pāo.
    This kind of soap lathers easily.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

起qǐrise; form
泡pàobubble; blister

起 indicates forming or rising, and 泡 is a bubble or blister, together meaning to form bubbles.

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
走走zǒu
Sound part声符shēngfú
巳
巳sì起qǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

起 is made from 走 and 巳: 走 is the part connected with walking or running, and 巳 gives the sound.

Open 起 →

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
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.

Open 泡 →
Appears in
Illness & Symptoms

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