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古朴 (gǔ pǔ) — simple and unadorned in an antique style; rustic and quaint

Definition

古朴 means 'quaintly simple in an antique style' — used for old art, architecture, or design. 朴素 and 质朴 are about plainness in general, with no antique flavor; 朴实 and 淳朴 describe a person's character.

adjective
simple and unadorned in an antique stylerustic and quaint

Examples

  • 古朴。
    Zhè zuò chéng shì de jiù chéng qū bǎo liú zhe gǔ pǔ de fēng mào.
    The old city area of this town retains its quaintly simple appearance.
  • 古朴。
    Tā hěn xǐ huan nà jiàn gǔ pǔ de táo cí huā píng.
    She really likes that antique-style simple ceramic vase.
  • 古朴。
    Zhè shǒu gǔ qín qǔ de xuán lǜ gǔ pǔ ér yōu yuǎn.
    The melody of this guqin piece is simply rustic and far-reaching.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

古gǔold
朴pǔsimple

古 (old) and 朴 (simple) combine to suggest a plain, rustic style.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

One reading of 古 sees a shield-like shape above an open mark, showing strength and firmness. Another sees a person spitting out bad-tasting food.

Open 古 →

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
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
卜
卜bǔ朴Piáo
Same sound today

朴 pairs 木, a tree or wood, with 卜, which gives the sound.

Open 朴 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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