保质期 (bǎo zhì qī) — shelf life; expiration date

Definition

noun

shelf lifeexpiration date

保质期。
Mǎi shí pǐn qián yí dìng yào jiǎn chá bǎo zhì qī.
Be sure to check the expiration date before buying food.
保质期。
Zhè píng jiàng yóu de bǎo zhì qī hái yǒu bàn nián.
This bottle of soy sauce still has half a year of shelf life.
，保质期。
Huà zhuāng pǐn guò qī hòu jiù bù néng yòng le, zhù yì kàn bǎo zhì qī.
Cosmetics can't be used after they expire, so pay attention to the expiration date.

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.

保质preserve quality

保bǎopreserve质zhìquality

动宾Verb + object

保质 means to preserve quality, and 期 means a period, so the whole word names the period during which quality is kept.

Characters in this word

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

保 originally showed a person 人 carrying a child 子 on their back, which led to the sense of protecting.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 質; 质 is its simplified writing.

斦貝質

The traditional form 質 is made up of 貝 and 斦; this describes 質, not the simplified 质.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

其

Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Appears in