荷包 (hé bāo) — small pouch or bag (often decorative or worn on… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

small pouch or bag (often decorative or worn on the belt)walletmoney pouchpocket (in garments)

Measure word · 个

Examples

荷包。
Zhè ge hé bāo shàng xiù zhe hé huā.
This pouch has lotuses embroidered on it.
荷包。
Tā bǎ hé bāo fàng zài kǒu dài lǐ.
He put his wallet in his pocket.
荷包，。
Zhè jiàn wài tào de hé bāo tài qiǎn le, shǒu jī zhuāng bú xià.
The pockets on this coat are too shallow to fit a phone.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

荷 'carry' and 包 'bag' together suggest a bag one carries, hence a pouch or pocket.

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

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

何

何hé荷hé

Same sound today

荷 has 艸, the grass/plant form, to show a plant, and 何 to give the sound.

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

Footwear & Accessories

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