Meaning of 宝贝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- treasured object
- treasure
- darling
- baby
- cowry
- good-for-nothing or queer character
How to use 宝贝
宝贝 can mean a valuable object, but in daily speech it is most often a term of endearment for a child or partner. Parents and couples use it as a pet name. Example: 宝贝，快来吃饭。(Bǎobèi, kuài lái chī fàn.) Darling, come eat.
宝 (bǎo) shows a jade piece 玉 kept under a roof 宀, something precious at home. 贝 (bèi) is a shell, which once served as money, so 宝贝 is your most precious treasure, often a person you love.
Common mistake: Learners often write 贝 as 见 (jiàn), which has a curved hook at the bottom instead of the two short dots. Also note that 宝贝 can be sarcastic for an odd or useless person, as in 你真是个宝贝 (You are something else), so tone of voice matters.
宝贝 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
- 6
- 7
- 8
贝 bèi · sea shell · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 宝贝.
| 宝宝 | bǎobao | darling; baby |
| 宝贵 | bǎoguì | valuable; precious |
| 宝石 | bǎoshí | precious stone; gem |
| 珠宝 | zhūbǎo | pearls; jewels |
| 宝藏 | bǎozàng | precious mineral deposits; hidden treasure |
| 贝壳 | bèiké | shell (of a mollusk) |
| 国宝 | guóbǎo | national treasure |
| 宝库 | bǎokù | treasure-house; treasury |
| 瑰宝 | guībǎo | a treasure; a rare and valuable thing |
| 宝贝儿 | bǎobèir | erhua variant of 寶貝|宝贝[bao3 bei4] |
| 贝克 | Bèikè | becquerel (unit of radioactivity, symbol Bq) (abbr. for 貝克勒爾|贝克勒尔[bei4 ke4 le4 er3]) |
| 贝斯 | Bèisī | (loanword) bass (esp. bass guitar) |
Questions about 宝贝
What does 宝贝 mean?
宝贝 (bǎobèi) means "treasured object; treasure" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 宝贝?
宝贝 is made of 2 characters: 宝 (8 strokes), 贝 (4 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 宝贝 an HSK word?
Yes. 宝贝 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 宝贝 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 宝贝 is written 寶貝.
What is the difference between 宝贝 and 宝宝?
Both can mean baby or darling. 宝宝 (bǎobao) leans more toward small children and sounds softer and cuter, while 宝贝 is used widely for children, partners, and also for treasured objects.
Is 宝贝 used in online shopping?
Yes. On platforms like Taobao, sellers call their products 宝贝, meaning items for sale, and buyers may say 这个宝贝 to refer to a listed product.