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塑料 meaning in English

sùliào

plastic; plastics (general term for synthetic polymer materials)

HSK 4noun23 strokes

Meaning of 塑料

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

sùliào
  1. plastic; plastics (general term for synthetic polymer materials)

How to use 塑料

塑料 is the everyday word for plastic as a material, and it often comes before another noun to describe what something is made of. Example: 这个杯子是塑料的。(Zhège bēizi shì sùliào de.) This cup is made of plastic.

塑 (sù) means to mold or shape, and it has 土 (earth) at the bottom, like clay you shape with your hands. 料 (liào) means material, so 塑料 is literally "material you can mold," which is exactly what plastic is.

Common mistake: Learners often write 塑 as 朔 alone or mix it up with 素 (sù), which has the same sound but means plain or element. Also watch the tones: sù is fourth tone and liào is fourth tone, so both syllables fall.

塑料 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

不bù用yòng，谢xiè谢xiè。不bù需xū要yào塑sù料liào袋dài。
No thank you, I don't need a plastic bag.
这zhè把bǎ椅yǐ子zi是shì塑sù料liào做zuò的de。
This chair is plastic.
这zhè把bǎ塑sù料liào椅yǐ子zi很hěn便pián宜yi。
This plastic chair is cheap.
我wǒ拒jù绝jué使shǐ用yòng塑sù料liào袋dài。
I refuse to use plastic bags.
塑sù料liào盘pán子zi在zài烤kǎo箱xiāng里lǐ会huì化huà的de。
A plastic dish will melt on the stove.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

塑 sù · to sculpt · 13 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13

料 liào · material · 10 strokes

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10

Related words

Words that share a character with 塑料.

资料zīliàomaterial; resources
材料cáiliào(raw) material; data
燃料ránliàofuel
原料yuánliàoraw material
塑料袋sùliàodàiplastic bag
饮料yǐnliàodrink; beverage
不料bùliàounexpectedly; to one's surprise
料到liàodàoto foresee; to anticipate
料理liàolǐto arrange; to handle
照料zhàoliàoto tend; to take care of sb
雕塑diāosùa statue; a Buddhist image
预料yùliàoto forecast; to anticipate

Questions about 塑料

What does 塑料 mean?

塑料 (sùliào) means "plastic; plastics (general term for synthetic polymer materials)" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 塑料?

塑料 is made of 2 characters: 塑 (13 strokes), 料 (10 strokes). That is 23 strokes in total.

Is 塑料 an HSK word?

Yes. 塑料 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How do you say plastic bag in Chinese?

A plastic bag is 塑料袋 (sùliàodài). You will hear it in shops, for example 要塑料袋吗？(Yào sùliàodài ma?) Do you need a plastic bag?

Can 塑料 be used to describe fake or insincere things?

Yes, in casual internet slang 塑料 can mean fake or shallow. For example, 塑料友情 (sùliào yǒuqíng) means a fake friendship, but this is informal and not the main dictionary sense.

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