TongTong
Sign in

贝壳 (bèi ké) — shell (of a mollusk); seashell; conch; cowry

Definition

贝壳 specifically means the shell of a sea mollusk. 壳 is more general — eggshells, nutshells, device casings — and is also the second character of this word.

noun
shell (of a mollusk)seashellconchcowry
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 贝壳。
    Wǒ zài shā tān shàng kàn dào le xǔ duō piào liang de bèi ké.
    I saw many beautiful shells on the beach.
  • 贝壳。
    Zhè ge bèi ké de wén lù fēi cháng qīng xī.
    The pattern on this shell is very clear.
  • 贝壳。
    Tā mǎi le yí gè bèi ké zuò de yào shi kòu.
    She bought a keychain made of shells.

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.

贝bèishellfish; shell
壳késhell; outer covering

The first part points to a shellfish or shell, and the second part means outer covering, together naming a seashell.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 貝; 贝 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 貝, not the simplified 贝, shows a cowrie shell used as money in ancient China.

Open 贝 →

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 殼; 壳 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
几几jǐ
Sound part声符shēngfú
㱿
㱿㱿殼ké(r)
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 殼 is built from 几 (the meaning part) and 㱿 (the sound part); the simplified 壳 is a later shorthand.

Open 壳 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Fish & Aquatic Life

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.