补 (bǔ) — to repair, to mend (clothes, objects); to make up for, to supplement (lessons, nutrition, lost time); to fill (a vacancy, gap)
Definition
补 covers both 'repair/mend' (clothes, objects) and 'make up, supplement' (lessons, nutrition, a gap). 修补 is specifically physical repair; 弥补 is for abstract losses or mistakes; 赔偿 involves paying back damage.
verb
to repairto mend (clothes, objects)to make up forto supplement (lessons, nutrition, lost time)to fill (a vacancy, gap)
Examples
- ，补。Tā de kù zi pò le, mā ma bāng tā bǔ hǎo le.His pants were torn, and his mom helped him mend them.
- ，。Wǒ bìng le yí gè xīng qī, xū yào zhǎo tóng xué bǔ kè.I was sick for a week and need to catch up on lessons with a classmate.
- ，补补。Nǐ zuì jìn tài lèi le, duō chī diǎn yǒu yíng yǎng de dōng xī bǔ yi bǔ shēn tǐ.You've been too tired lately; eat more nutritious things to supplement your body.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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 補; 补 is its simplified writing.
The traditional form 補 shows 衤 (clothes) beside 甫, which gives the sound; the simplified 补 is a later shorthand, so its shape is not the historical breakdown.
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