Definitions

blank (e.g. for a coin); unburnt earthenware; semifinished product; Taiwan pr. [pēi]

Etymology phono-semantic

earth

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character 坯, representing an unfired earthenware form or a rough blank, is structured as a phono-semantic compound combining the earth radical 土 to signify its clay-based nature with the component 不, which historically functioned as a phonetic marker despite the modern divergence in pronunciation. Its original meaning was narrowly focused on pottery that had been shaped but not yet fired, a sense directly tied to its material composition. Over centuries, the term's application widened metaphorically to describe any preliminary or unfinished state in manufacturing and other domains, thus extending its semantic range from a specific craft object to a more abstract conceptual blank while its graphical construction has persisted without major modification.

Example Sentences Hide

他们用土盖房子。

Tāmen yòng tǔpī gài fángzi.

They use adobe to build houses.

这间房子还是毛房。

Zhè jiān fángzi háishì máopī fáng.

This house is still a roughcast room.

陶匠正在制作陶

Táojiàng zhèngzài zhìzuò táopī.

The potter is making pottery blanks.

他是个学戏的好子。

Tā shì gè xué xì de hǎo pīzi.

He is a good material for learning opera.

工厂生产钢铁料。

Gōngchǎng shēngchǎn gāngtiě pīliào.

The factory produces steel billets.

这些砖需要晒干才能烧制。

Zhèxiē zhuānpī xūyào shài gān cái néng shāozhì.

These brick blanks need to be dried before they can be fired.

他的性格还像一块未打磨的

Tā de xìnggé hái xiàng yī kuài wèi dǎmó de pī.

His personality is still like an unpolished blank.

在陶瓷工艺中,修是至关重要的步骤。

Zài táocí gōngyì zhōng, xiū pī shì zhìguān zhòngyào de bùzhòu.

In ceramic craftsmanship, trimming the blank is a crucial step.