波特 (bō tè) — porter (a type of dark beer)

Definition

noun

porter (a type of dark beer)

Measure word · 瓶

波特。
Zhè jiā jiǔ bā de bō tè wèi dào hěn nóng yù.
The porter at this bar has a rich flavor.
波特。
Tā xiǎng cháng cháng shǒu niàng de bō tè.
He wants to taste the craft porter.
，波特。
Tiān qì lěng de shí hou, hē yì bēi bō tè hěn shū fu.
When the weather is cold, drinking a glass of porter is very comfortable.

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.

波特 spells the foreign name of a dark beer; the characters 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.

氵皮波

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

皮

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

The left side 氵 is water, and the right side 皮 gives the sound.

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

牛寺特

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

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

The shape combines 牛 (ox) with 寺, which gives the pronunciation; it originally meant a large bull.

Appears in