TraceHanzi

表 meaning in English

biǎo

exterior surface; family relationship via females

HSK 2nounTraditional 表|錶8 strokes

Meaning of 表

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

biǎo
  1. exterior surface
  2. family relationship via females
  3. to show (one's opinion)
  4. a model
  5. a table (listing information)
  6. a form
  7. a meter (measuring sth)
biǎo
  1. watch (timepiece)
  2. meter; gauge

How to use 表

表 (biǎo) is common on its own for a watch or a form, and in many compounds about showing or expressing. Example: 我的表慢了五分钟。(Wǒ de biǎo màn le wǔ fēnzhōng.) My watch is five minutes slow.

Think of 表 (biǎo) as the outside surface of something, the part everyone can see. A watch face, a table of data and a form are all surfaces that show information, and 表示 (biǎoshì) means to show what is inside.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 表 (biǎo) with 衣 (yī, clothing) or 麦 (mài, wheat) because the shapes look alike. Also, 表达 (biǎodá) means to express or convey ideas, while 表现 (biǎoxiàn) is about how someone behaves or performs, so do not swap them.

表 in example sentences

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

我wǒ不bù知zhī道dào如rú何hé表biǎo达dá我wǒ的de谢xiè意yì。
I don't know how to express my thanks.
他tā是shì个gè表biǎo里lǐ如rú一yī的de人rén。
What he says always corresponds with what he does.
一yí定dìng是shì有yǒu人rén偷tōu了le你nǐ的de手shǒu表biǎo。
Someone must've stolen your watch.
他tā在zài运yùn动dòng会huì上shàng的de表biǎo现xiàn十shí分fēn出chū色sè。
He was able to put up remarkable performances at the sports competition.
我wǒ只zhǐ能néng代dài表biǎo我wǒ自zì己jǐ讲jiǎng话huà。
I can only speak for myself.

Stroke order for each character

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

表 biǎo · exterior surface · 8 strokes

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

Related words

Words that share a character with 表.

表示biǎoshì(of sb) to express; to state; to show; (of sth) to indicate; to signify; to show
手表shǒubiǎowristwatch
代表dàibiǎorepresentative; delegate
表演biǎoyǎnplay; show
表现biǎoxiànto show; to show off
表达biǎodáto express; to convey
表明biǎomíngto make clear; to make known
发表fābiǎoto issue; to publish
表面biǎomiànsurface; face
表格biǎogéform; table
代表团dàibiǎotuándelegation
表情biǎoqíng(facial) expression; to express one's feelings

Questions about 表

What does 表 mean?

表 (biǎo) means "exterior surface; family relationship via females" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 表?

表 is made of 1 character: 表 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.

Is 表 an HSK word?

Yes. 表 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

How is 表 written in traditional Chinese?

In traditional characters, 表 is written 表|錶.

What does 表 mean in words like 表哥 or 表妹?

Here 表 marks cousins related through your mother's side or through a female relative, such as an aunt's children. Cousins on the father's side with the same surname use 堂 (táng), as in 堂哥 (tánggē).

How do I say I need to fill out a form?

Use 填表 (tián biǎo), literally to fill a form. For example, 请先填表。(Qǐng xiān tián biǎo.) Please fill out the form first.

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