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包袱 (bāo fu) — a bundle wrapped in cloth; (figurative) a burden, something weighing on one's mind; (in crosstalk/comedy) the punchline, a comedic twist or payoff

Definition

Literally a cloth-wrapped bundle, extended figuratively to mean a mental burden. In 相声 (crosstalk), 包袱 is the specific term for the punchline — not just any joke, but the set-up and payoff that drives the routine.

noun
a bundle wrapped in cloth(figurative) a burdensomething weighing on one's mind(in crosstalk/comedy) the punchlinea comedic twist or payoff
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 包袱。
    Tā bēi zhe yí gè dà bāo fu.
    He is carrying a large bundle on his back.
  • 包袱。
    Bié bǎ guò qù de shī bài dàng chéng xīn lǐ bāo fu.
    Don't treat past failures as a psychological burden.
  • 包袱。
    Zhè ge xiàng sheng de bāo fu fēi cháng hǎo xiào.
    The punchline of this crosstalk routine is very funny.

Origin

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.

包bāowrap
袱fúwrapping cloth

包 means to wrap, and 袱 is a wrapping cloth; together they refer to a bundle wrapped in cloth.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Open 包 →

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
衣衣yīclothes
Sound part声符shēngfú
伏
伏fú袱fú
Same sound today

袱 pairs 衣, meaning clothes, with 伏, which gives its sound.

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Abstract ConceptsEveryday Objects

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