夏布 (xià bù) — summer cloth (traditional handwoven ramie fabric)

Definition

夏布 (xià bù) is a traditional handwoven Chinese fabric made from ramie (苎麻), light and breathable for summer clothing and crafts. It is associated with regions like Jiangxi and Chongqing.

noun
summer cloth (traditional handwoven ramie fabric)
Measure word · 块
Easily confused

Examples

  • 夏布，。
    Zhè jiàn yī fu shì yòng xià bù zuò de, xià tiān chuān hěn liáng kuai.
    This piece of clothing is made of summer cloth; it's very cool to wear in summer.
  • 夏布。
    xià bù Shì jiāng xī de chuán tǒng shǒu gōng yì pǐn.
    Summer cloth is a traditional handicraft of Jiangxi.
  • 夏布，。
    Nǎi nai sòng le wǒ yí kuài xià bù, ràng wǒ zuò zhuō bù.
    Grandma gave me a piece of summer cloth to make a tablecloth.

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.

夏xiàsummer
布bùcloth

夏 names summer and 布 names cloth; the fabric is associated with summer use.

Characters in this word

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

  • 日日rìsun
  • 頁頁yèhead; man

Some scholars connect 夏 to 日 (sun) and 頁 (head; man), reading it as a man under the sun, but this is uncertain.

Open 夏 →

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
巾巾jīnkerchief
Sound part声符shēngfú
父
父fù布bù
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Open 布 →

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