袍 (páo) — robe, gown (bound morpheme, used in compounds)

Definition

袍 is a bound morpheme meaning 'robe' or 'gown' — it doesn't stand alone but appears in compounds like 旗袍 (qípáo, cheongsam), 长袍, or 袍子.

bound form

robegown (bound morpheme, used in compounds)

。
Tā chuān zhuó yí jiàn piào liang de qí páo.
She is wearing a beautiful cheongsam.
。
Gǔ dài de nán rén cháng chuān cháng páo.
Ancient men often wore long robes.
。
Zhè jiàn páo zi de yán sè hěn hǎo kàn.
The color of this robe is very nice.

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

衣衣yīclothing

Sound part声符shēngfú

包

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

袍 combines 衣, which means clothing, with 包, which gives the sound.

Appears in