织布 (zhī bù) — to weave cloth | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A verb-object phrase meaning 'to weave cloth' — describes the action of making fabric on a loom. The example 手织/手工织布 emphasizes the traditional craft sense.

verb

to weave cloth

Examples

织布。
Tā zài lǎo jiā yòng lǎo shì zhī bù jī zhī bù.
She weaves cloth in her hometown using an old-fashioned loom.
。
Zhè zhǒng shǒu gōng zhī de bù zhì liàng fēi cháng hǎo.
This kind of hand-woven cloth has very good quality.
。
Tā jīn tiān zhī le yì zhěng tiān de bù.
She wove cloth for the entire day today.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

织 says the action of weaving, and 布 names cloth, together meaning weave 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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 織; 织 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

糸糸mìsilk

Sound part声符shēngfú

戠

戠zhí織zhī

Same sound today

The traditional form 織 uses 糸, silk, with 戠 for the sound. The simplified 织 is a later shorthand.

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

巾巾jīnkerchief

Sound part声符shēngfú

父

父fù布bù

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.

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