Definitions

bǎi (noun) cypress; cedar
(noun) cypress; cedar

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "柏" is structured as a phono-semantic compound, combining the semantic component "木" for wood with the phonetic component "白" to indicate its pronunciation. Its etymology centers on representing the cypress tree, a meaning that has defined its core use since its inception. Over time, while retaining this primary botanical reference, the character's application broadened to include related concepts such as cypress wood, geographical designations, and personal nomenclature, thereby expanding its lexical presence without fundamental semantic shift. The consistent pairing of "木" and "白" has maintained the character's formal and auditory identity within the writing system.

Etymology Hide

Oracle etymology image
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

公园里有一棵树。

Gōngyuán lǐ yǒu yī kē bǎishù.

There is a cypress tree in the park.

树的叶子是绿色的。

Bǎishù de yèzi shì lǜsè de.

The leaves of the cypress tree are green.

我们在树下乘凉。

Wǒmen zài bǎishù xià chéngliáng.

We are cooling off under the cypress tree.

这条马路铺了油。

Zhè tiáo mǎlù pū le bǎiyóu.

This road is paved with asphalt.

林是德国的首都。

Bólín shì Déguó de shǒudū.

Berlin is the capital of Germany.

在冬天依然常青。

Sōngbǎi zài dōngtiān yīrán chángqīng.

Pine and cypress remain evergreen in winter.

他姓是一位著名的医生。

Tā xìng Bǎi shì yī wèi zhùmíng de yīshēng.

His surname is Bai and he is a famous doctor.

为了保护古政府制定了相关法规。

Wèile bǎohù gǔ bǎi zhèngfǔ zhìdìng le xiāngguān fǎguī.

To protect the ancient cypress trees the government has established relevant regulations.