Meaning of 薄
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- thin
- cold in manner
- indifferent
- weak
- light
- infertile
- meager
- slight
- weak
- ungenerous or unkind
- frivolous
- to despise
- to belittle
- to look down on
- see 薄荷[bo4 he5]
- surname Bo
How to use 薄
In everyday speech, báo describes physical thinness, like paper, clothes, or ice, and it is the opposite of 厚 (hòu, thick). In compounds and more abstract meanings it is usually read bó, as in 薄弱 (bóruò, weak) and 刻薄 (kèbó, harsh). Example: 这件衣服太薄了。(Zhè jiàn yīfu tài báo le.) This piece of clothing is too thin.
薄 has the grass radical 艹 on top and 溥 (pǔ) below, which gives a hint of the sound. Picture a thin layer of grass spread over water: it covers a wide area but is very thin.
Common mistake: Learners often use 薄 for a thin person, but for body shape Chinese uses 瘦 (shòu). 薄 is for flat objects like paper, cloth, or a layer of something. Also, do not read 薄荷 (bòhe, mint) as báohe. It takes the fourth tone bò.
薄 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.
薄 báo · thin · 16 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 薄.
Questions about 薄
What does 薄 mean?
薄 (báo) means "thin; cold in manner" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 薄?
薄 is made of 1 character: 薄 (16 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 薄 an HSK word?
Yes. 薄 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
When do I say báo and when do I say bó?
Use báo when 薄 stands alone as a colloquial adjective for physical thinness, as in 很薄 (hěn báo). Use bó in compound words and literary or abstract meanings, such as 薄弱 (bóruò) and 单薄 (dānbó).
Can 薄 describe a person's attitude?
Yes. It can mean cold or ungenerous, especially in words like 刻薄 (kèbó, unkind, harsh). A phrase like 待人不薄 (dài rén bù bó) means someone treats people well.