Meaning of 布
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- cloth
- to declare
- to announce
- to spread
- to make known
- variant of 布[bu4]
- to announce
- to spread
How to use 布
On its own, 布 (bù) usually means cloth or fabric. As a verb meaning to announce or spread, it mostly appears in compounds like 宣布 (xuānbù) and 分布 (fēnbù). Example: 老师宣布明天放假。(Lǎoshī xuānbù míngtiān fàngjià.) The teacher announced that tomorrow is a day off.
The bottom part of 布 is 巾 (jīn), a piece of cloth hanging down, so the character is about cloth. Picture a cloth being spread out wide, which links to its other meanings: to spread and to make known.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 布 with 市 (shì, market), since both have 巾 at the bottom. In 布 the top is a 𠂇 shape with a slanting left stroke, while 市 has a dot on top. Also keep the fourth tone in bù, not the first.
布 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.
布 bù · cloth · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Related words
Words that share a character with 布.
| 宣布 | xuānbù | to declare; to announce |
| 公布 | gōngbù | to announce; to make public; to publish |
| 布置 | bùzhì | to arrange; to set up; to lay out; to assign (tasks, homework etc) |
| 分布 | fēnbù | to scatter; to distribute |
| 发布 | fābù | to release; to issue |
| 布满 | bùmǎn | to be covered with; to be filled with |
| 瀑布 | pùbù | waterfall |
| 发布会 | fābùhuì | press conference; news conference; product launch event |
| 遍布 | biànbù | to cover the whole (area); to be found throughout |
| 散布 | sànbù | to disseminate |
| 布局 | bùjú | arrangement; composition |
| 颁布 | bānbù | to issue; to proclaim |
Questions about 布
What does 布 mean?
布 (bù) means "cloth; to declare" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 布?
布 is made of 1 character: 布 (5 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.
Is 布 an HSK word?
Yes. 布 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 宣布 and 公布?
宣布 (xuānbù) focuses on officially stating a decision or fact, often out loud. 公布 (gōngbù) focuses on making information public, such as results or a list, often in writing.
How do I say a piece of cloth in Chinese?
Use the measure word 块 (kuài): 一块布 (yí kuài bù), a piece of cloth. For longer fabric you can also hear 一匹布 (yì pǐ bù), a bolt of cloth.