刨子 (bào zi) — carpenter's plane; plane (tool)

Definition

noun

carpenter's planeplane (tool)

Measure word · 把

Easily confused

刨子。
Tā ná qǐ bào zi kāi shǐ páo mù tou.
He picked up the plane and started planing wood.
刨子。
Zhè ge bào zi yòng qǐ lái hěn shùn shǒu.
This plane is very handy to use.
刨子。
Lǎo mù jiàng de bào zi mó dé hěn fēng lì.
The old carpenter's plane is sharpened very keen.

Derived word

构词法gòucífǎ

后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

刨páoto plane

The tool is named after 刨, the action of planing, with 子 completing the tool name.

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

刀刀dāoknife

Sound part声符shēngfú

包

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

刨 puts 刀, a knife, beside 包, which gives the sound.

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.