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杯子 (bēi zi) — cup, glass (drinking vessel)

Definition

杯子 is the everyday word for a drinking cup or mug. Compared to 碗 (a bowl), 杯子 is taller, open-topped, and used for sipping drinks like water, tea, or coffee.

noun
cupglass (drinking vessel)
Measure word · 个, 只

Examples

  • 杯子。
    Wǒ yǒu yì bēi zi.
    I have a cup.
  • 杯子。
    Nà bēi zi shì xīn de.
    That cup is new.
  • 杯子。
    Wǒ yào mǎi yí gè bēi zi.
    I want to buy a cup.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

杯bēicup
子zǐnoun suffix

杯 names the drinking vessel, and 子 is a common ending that forms the noun.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
木木mù
Sound part声符shēngfú
不
不bù杯bēi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

杯 is built from 木, meaning wood, and 不, which gives the sound.

Open 杯 →

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

子 is drawn as a baby with a large head, arms stretched out, and legs wrapped in a blanket.

Open 子 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 1HSK 2.0 Level 1Kitchenware & Tableware5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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