湖泊 (hú pō) — lake | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary/formal word for 'lakes and ponds' as a collective category. 湖 is the everyday, HSK-5 word for a single lake.

noun

lake

Measure word · 个

Examples

湖泊。
Xǔ duō niǎo shēng huó zài hú pō fù jìn.
Many birds live near the lake.
湖泊。
Zhè ge hú pō de miàn jī fēi cháng dà.
This lake has a very large area.
湖泊。
Tā men měi tiān zài hú pō biān sàn bù.
They take a walk by the lake every day.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

'湖' and '泊' both point to bodies of water, together naming a lake.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

胡

胡hú湖hú

Same sound today

湖 pairs 水 (water) with 胡 (hú), which gives the sound.

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

水水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

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

The 水 part shows water. The 白 part gives the sound, and the picture is of a ship staying still after running aground in shallow water.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Geography & Landforms

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