Meaning of 宝石
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- precious stone; gem
Measure word: 枚,顆|颗
How to use 宝石
宝石 is the general word for gems like rubies and sapphires, and it often appears in jewelry and shopping contexts. Specific gems usually add a word in front, such as 红宝石 (hóngbǎoshí) ruby and 蓝宝石 (lánbǎoshí) sapphire. Example: 这枚戒指上有一颗宝石。(Zhè méi jièzhi shang yǒu yī kē bǎoshí.) This ring has a gem on it.
宝 (bǎo) means treasure, and 石 (shí) means stone. A treasure stone is a gem.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 石 as the neutral-tone shitou they know from 石头 (shítou). In 宝石 it keeps its full second tone: bǎoshí. Also, 宝石 means a gemstone, not any valuable thing. For a treasured object in general, use 宝贝 (bǎobèi).
宝石 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
宝 bǎo · jewel · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
- 8
石 shí · stone · 5 strokes
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- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 宝石.
| 石头 | shítou | stone |
| 石油 | shíyóu | oil; petroleum |
| 宝贝 | bǎobèi | treasured object; treasure |
| 宝宝 | bǎobao | darling; baby |
| 宝贵 | bǎoguì | valuable; precious |
| 化石 | huàshí | fossil |
| 珠宝 | zhūbǎo | pearls; jewels |
| 钻石 | zuànshí | diamond |
| 岩石 | yánshí | (geology) rock |
| 宝藏 | bǎozàng | precious mineral deposits; hidden treasure |
| 陨石 | yǔnshí | meteorite; aerolite |
| 水落石出 | shuǐluò-shíchū | (lit.) as the water recedes, the rocks appear (idiom); (fig.) the truth comes to light |
Questions about 宝石
What does 宝石 mean?
宝石 (bǎoshí) means "precious stone; gem" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 宝石?
宝石 is made of 2 characters: 宝 (8 strokes), 石 (5 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 宝石 an HSK word?
Yes. 宝石 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 宝石 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 宝石 is written 寶石.
What measure word is used with 宝石?
The most common measure word is 颗 (kē), used for small round things, as in 一颗宝石. You may also see 块 (kuài) for larger or irregular pieces.
Is 钻石 (zuànshí) a kind of 宝石?
Yes. 钻石 means diamond, and it is usually considered a type of 宝石. In everyday speech people often name it separately, as in 钻石和宝石 (diamonds and gems).