(zǎo) — (bound morpheme) bath; to bathe (used in compounds)

Definition

A bound morpheme meaning 'bath' — never used alone. It always appears in compounds like 洗澡 (take a bath), 澡堂 (bathhouse), or 泡澡 (soak in a bath), where the second character carries the verb.

bound form
(bound morpheme) bathto bathe (used in compounds)

Examples

  • Wǒ měi tiān dōu yào xǐ zǎo.
    I need to take a bath every day.
  • Zhè jiā zǎo táng de shuǐ hěn rè.
    The water in this bathhouse is very hot.
  • Pào zǎo duì shēn tǐ hěn hǎo.
    Soaking in a bath is very good for the body.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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
shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
zàozǎo
Same sound today

澡 uses 水 (water) to show the idea of washing and 喿 to give the sound.

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.