背包 (bēi bāo) — backpack, rucksack | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

A backpack or rucksack for carrying things on your back (travel, hiking, daily use). Unlike 书包, it is not specifically a schoolbag.

noun

backpackrucksack

Measure word · 个

Examples

背包。
Tā bēi zhe bēi bāo qù shàng xué.
He carries a backpack to school.
背包。
Wǒ de bēi bāo lǐ zhuāng le hěn duō dōng xī.
There are a lot of things in my backpack.
背包。
Zhè ge bēi bāo shì mā ma sòng gěi wǒ de shēng rì lǐ wù.
This backpack is a birthday gift from my mom.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

背bèicarry on the back

The first part means carry on the back, and the second part means bag, together naming a pack carried on the back.

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.

北月背

Meaning part形符xíngfú

月Written in full as肉ròumeat

Sound part声符shēngfú

北

北běi背bèi

Same sound today

背 was first written as 北; 北 gives the sound, and 肉 (meat, written as 月 here) was added to separate it from 北’s north meaning.

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

The shape of 包 pictures a fetus in a womb, or a baby wrapped in cloth.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 Footwear & Accessories

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