() — eight

Definition

Examples

  • Wǒ yǒu bā běn shū.
    I have eight books.
  • Tā chī le bā gè píng guǒ.
    He ate eight apples.
  • Tā men jīn tiān bā diǎn qù xué xiào.
    They go to school at eight o'clock today.

Origin

Pictograph
六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíng

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

八 shows two bent lines, indicating the original meaning 'to divide'; it was later used for 'eight' because the words sounded alike.

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