白袍 (bái páo) — white robe; white gown (as worn by doctors, scholars, etc.)

Definition

noun
white robewhite gown (as worn by doctors, scholars, etc.)
Measure word · 件

Examples

  • 白袍。
    Zhè wèi yī shēng měi tiān dōu chuān bái páo.
    This doctor wears a white gown every day.
  • 白袍。
    Gǔ dài de dú shū rén cháng cháng chuān bái páo.
    Ancient scholars often wore white robes.
  • 白袍。
    Zhè jiàn bái páo shì tā zuì xǐ huan de yī fu.
    This white robe is his favorite piece of clothing.

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.

白báiwhite
袍páorobe

白 gives white, and 袍 is a robe, referring to a white robe.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

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
衣衣yīclothing
Sound part声符shēngfú
包
包bāo袍páo
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

袍 combines 衣, which means clothing, with 包, which gives the sound.

Open 袍 →

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