瀑布 (pù bù) — waterfall

Definition

noun
waterfall
Measure word ·

Examples

  • 瀑布
    Zhè ge pù bù hěn zhuàng guān, xī yǐn le hěn duō rén lái pāi zhào.
    This waterfall is magnificent and attracts many people to take photos.
  • 瀑布
    Wǒ men pá le yí gè xiǎo shí cái kàn dào nà ge dà pù bù.
    We hiked for an hour before we saw the big waterfall.
  • 瀑布
    Yuǎn fāng de pù bù xiàng yì tiáo bái liàn guà zài shān shàng.
    The waterfall in the distance hangs on the mountain like a white silk ribbon.

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.

waterfall
cloth

瀑 (waterfall) plus 布 (cloth): falling water is named by comparing it to hanging cloth.

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
Written in full asshuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
bào
Same sound today

In 瀑, the left side 氵 is water, and the right side 暴 gives the sound bào; together they write the word for waterfall.

Open 瀑 →

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

布 pairs 巾, a kerchief, with 父 as a sound part.

Open 布 →

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