气泡 (qì pào) — bubble (in liquid); blister, gas pocket (in met… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literally 'air-pocket' — bubbles in liquid or in solid materials like metal and glass. 泡沫 emphasizes foam (clusters of bubbles on the surface, or soap bubbles), while 气泡 can be a single bubble inside something.

noun

bubble (in liquid)blistergas pocket (in metal, glass, etc.)

Measure word · 个

Examples

气泡，。
Pí jiǔ de qì pào yuè duō, jiù yuè xīn xiān.
The more bubbles in beer, the fresher it is.
气泡。
Jīn shǔ zhōng de qì pào huì yǐng xiǎng qiáng dù.
Blisters in metal affect its strength.
气泡，。
Tā xǐ huan hē qì pào shuǐ, bù xǐ huan hē pǔ tōng de kuàng quán shuǐ.
She likes sparkling water, not regular mineral water.

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.

气 'gas' and 泡 'bubble' combine to mean a bubble of gas.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 氣; 气 is its simplified writing.

气米氣

Meaning part形符xíngfú

米米mǐrice

Sound part声符shēngfú

气

气qì氣qì

Same sound today

The traditional form 氣 pairs 米 (rice) with 气, which supplies the sound; the simplified 气 is a later abbreviation.

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

氵包泡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

包

包bāo泡pào

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

泡 combines 氵 (water) and 包, which supplies the sound. It conveys foam.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Miscellaneous Objects

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