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伯乐 (bó lè) — (proper noun) Bo Le, legendary horse appraiser from the Zhou dynasty; (figurative) a person who is good at discovering talent; a talent scout

Definition

A historical horse-judging expert, now used figuratively for a 'talent scout' — someone with a sharp eye for spotting hidden ability in others. Often paired with 千里马 (the talented person they discover).

noun
(proper noun) Bo Le, legendary horse appraiser from the Zhou dynasty(figurative) a person who is good at discovering talenta talent scout

Examples

  • 伯乐。
    Gǔ dài yǒu yí wèi zhù míng de xiàng mǎ shī jiào bó lè.
    In ancient times there was a famous horse appraiser called Bo Le.
  • 伯乐，。
    Zhè wèi lǎo shī zhēn shì bó lè, fā xiàn le hěn duō yǒu cái huá de xué shēng.
    This teacher is truly a Bo Le, discovering many talented students.
  • ，伯乐。
    Qiān lǐ mǎ cháng yǒu, ér bó lè bù cháng yǒu.
    Swift horses are common, but Bo Le is not.

Origin

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
人人rénperson
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái伯bó
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

伯 pairs 人 (person) with 白, which gives its sound.

Open 伯 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 樂; 乐 is its simplified writing.

In the traditional form 樂, 絲 (string) with 木 (wood) shows strings on a piece of wood, a musical instrument; the simplified 乐 is a later shorthand.

Open 乐 →
Appears in
Mythology & Folklore

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