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被窝 (bèi wō) — quilt folded into a sleeping bag; bedding (the space inside a quilt when sleeping)

Definition

被窝 (bèiwō) refers to the warm, cocoon-like space inside a folded quilt where you sleep — distinct from 床 (the bed itself). The focus is the cozy nest the bedding creates, not the bedding as an object.

noun
quilt folded into a sleeping bagbedding (the space inside a quilt when sleeping)

Examples

  • 被窝。
    Dōng tiān zuān jìn nuǎn huo de bèi wō zhēn shū fu.
    It's so comfortable to crawl into a warm quilt in winter.
  • 被窝。
    Tā zǎo shàng lài zài bèi wō lǐ bù kěn qǐ chuáng.
    He stayed in bed, unwilling to get up in the morning.
  • 被窝。
    Mā ma bāng wǒ bǎ bèi wō pù hǎo le.
    Mom helped me spread out the quilt bed.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

被bèiquilt
窝wōnest

被 is the quilt and 窝 is a nest or hollow, together the warm space formed by bedding.

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
衣衣yīclothing
Sound part声符shēngfú
皮
皮pí被bèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

被 pairs 衣 (clothing) with 皮, which gives the sound.

Open 被 →

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 窩; 窝 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
穴穴xuécave
Sound part声符shēngfú
咼
咼wāi窩wō
Same sound today

The traditional form 窩 uses 穴, a cave, for meaning and 咼 for sound; the simplified 窝 is a later shorthand.

Open 窝 →
Appears in
Home & Housing

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