雨布 (yǔ bù) — waterproof cloth, tarpaulin

Definition

noun

waterproof clothtarpaulin

Measure word · 块

，雨布。
Xià yǔ le, kuài yòng yǔ bù gài zhù huò wù.
It's raining — quickly cover the goods with the tarpaulin.
雨布。
Gōng rén bǎ yǔ bù pù zài wū dǐng shàng.
The workers spread the waterproof cloth on the roof.
雨布，。
Zhè zhāng yǔ bù hěn jiē shi, yòng le hǎo jǐ nián dōu méi huài.
This tarpaulin is very sturdy — it's been used for several years without breaking.

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.

雨 points to rain and 布 is cloth, suggesting cloth that keeps water out.

Characters in this word

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

The shape 雨 is an old picture of a cloud with rain drops falling from it; the top line was added later.

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

巾巾jīnkerchief

Sound part声符shēngfú

父

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

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.