Meaning of 铺
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to spread
- to display
- to set up
- (old) holder for door-knocker
- plank bed
- place to sleep
- shop
- store
- (old) relay station
- variant of 鋪|铺[pu4]
- store
How to use 铺
As pū it means to spread or lay something flat, such as a road, a tablecloth, or bedding. As pù it is a noun for a shop or a bed, as in 店铺 (diànpù) and 卧铺 (wòpù). Example: 我来铺床。(Wǒ lái pū chuáng.) I'll make the bed.
铺 combines 钅 (metal) with 甫 (fǔ), which hints at the sound. Picture laying metal sheets flat across the ground to spread them out, which is the verb pū.
Common mistake: Learners often read every 铺 as pū, but the noun meanings take the fourth tone, so 卧铺 is wòpù and 铺子 is pùzi. Also, do not confuse 铺 with 捕 (bǔ, to catch), which shares the 甫 part but uses the hand radical 扌.
铺 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.
铺 pū · to spread · 12 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
Related words
Words that share a character with 铺.
Questions about 铺
What does 铺 mean?
铺 (pū) means "to spread; to display" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 铺?
铺 is made of 1 character: 铺 (12 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 铺 an HSK word?
Yes. 铺 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 铺 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 铺 is written 鋪.
How do I know whether to say pū or pù?
Use pū when it is an action of spreading or laying something, like 铺路 (pūlù). Use pù when it names a thing, such as a shop or a bed, like 床铺 (chuángpù) or 当铺 (dàngpù).
What does 铺床 mean, and is it the same as making the bed?
铺床 (pū chuáng) means to spread out the sheets and bedding, so it is close to making the bed. The related noun 床铺 (chuángpù) simply means a bed or bunk.