簿 () — book, register (bound form, used in compound words)

Definition

簿 (bù) is a bound form meaning 'register' or 'ledger' — it almost never stands alone and always appears inside a compound (账簿, 户口簿). The common everyday word for a notebook is 本子, not 簿子.

bound form
bookregister (bound form, used in compound words)

Examples

  • Zhè shì yì běn zhàng bù.
    This is an account book.
  • 簿
    Qǐng bǎ xìng míng dēng rù hù kǒu bù.
    Please register the name into the household register.
  • 簿
    Tā yǒu yì běn bù zi, zhuān mén jì bǐ jì.
    She has a notebook specifically for taking notes.

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

簿 used for book, pairs 竹 (bamboo) with 溥; 竹 is the meaning part and 溥 gives the sound.

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