排骨 (pái gǔ) — spareribs; pork ribs; (slang) a very thin perso… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'row of bones', the everyday food term for pork ribs (esp. spare ribs), as in 红烧排骨. Slang for a 'skinny person' plays on the bony shape — only use this sense with people you know well.

noun

spareribspork ribs(slang) a very thin personskinny person

Measure word · 块

Examples

排骨。
Wǒ zuì xǐ huan chī hóng shāo pái gǔ.
I really like eating braised spareribs.
，排骨。
Fú wù yuán, wǒ yào yí fèn táng cù pái gǔ.
Waiter, I'd like a serving of sweet and sour spareribs.
，排骨。
Tā tài shòu le, jiǎn zhí jiù xiàng yì gēn pái gǔ.
He's so thin, he's practically a skeleton (lit. like a spare rib).

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.

The sense comes from 排 'row' and 骨 'bones', naming a row of bones.

Characters in this word

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

扌非排

Meaning part形符xíngfú

扌Written in full as手shǒuhand

Sound part声符shēngfú

非

非fēi排pái

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

排 uses 扌 (hand) to show arranging something with the hand, and 非 for the sound; this gives the sense of placing things in a line.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

冎

冎guǎ骨gǔ

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The older form 冎 drew a bone; 肉, flesh, was added to make 骨.

Appears in

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