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布尔 (bù ěr) — (math.) Boolean; (surname) Boole

Definition

Transliteration of the name 'Boole' — used in math and computing for Boolean algebra, Boolean logic, and Boolean (true/false) types. Borrowed from English; learners will mainly meet it in technical contexts.

noun
(math.) Boolean(surname) Boole

Examples

  • 布尔。
    bù ěr Dài shù shì jì suàn jī kē xué de jī chǔ.
    Boolean algebra is a foundation of computer science.
  • 布尔。
    Zhè ge biàn liàng shì bù ěr lèi xíng de.
    This variable is of Boolean type.
  • 。
    Wǒ men yòng bù ěr luó ji lái zuò pàn duàn.
    We use Boolean logic to make decisions.

Origin

Single-morpheme word
构词法gòucífǎ
音译yīnyìTransliteration

The characters spell the sound of a foreign word; their individual meanings play no part.

布bù
尔ěr

布尔 spells the foreign name Boole/Boolean; the characters 布 and 尔 carry no meaning of their own here.

Sound-only characters

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 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.

Open 尔 →
Appears in
Math

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