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图书 (tú shū) — books (as a collection, especially in a library or bookstore)

Definition

图书 means 'books' as a formal collective term (a library's or publisher's stock), more written/formal than 书籍. Refers to the category itself, not a reading room (书房) or a place (图书馆).

noun
books (as a collection, especially in a library or bookstore)
Measure word · 本, 册, 部

Examples

  • 图书。
    Wǒ cóng tú shū guǎn jiè le sān běn tú shū.
    I borrowed three books from the library.
  • 图书。
    Zhè cè tú shū jiǎng de shì kē xué zhī shi.
    This volume of books covers scientific knowledge.
  • 图书。
    Zhè shì yí bù zhòng yào de wén xué tú shū.
    This is an important literary book/work.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

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

图túmap
书shūbook

图 and 书 originally covered maps and books, and together now mean books as a collection.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 圖; 图 is its simplified writing.

  • 囗囗wéiwalled city
  • 啚啚bǐ

The traditional form 圖 pairs 囗, a walled city, with 啚, an early form meaning remote areas or territory. The simplified 图 is a later abbreviation.

Open 图 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 書; 书 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
聿聿yùwriting brush
Sound part声符shēngfú
者
者zhě書shū
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 書 uses 聿, a writing brush, and 者 for its sound; the simplified 书 is a later shorthand.

Open 书 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Reading & Writing

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