玻

bō
王 + 皮

Definitions

bō (noun) glass

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 王 represents the meaning and 皮 represents the sound.

Semantic: 王 Phonetic: 皮

About

玻 (bō) is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side radical 王, a variant of 玉 (yù) meaning jade, indicates precious stones, minerals, or smooth, gem-like materials, while the right-side component 皮 (pí), which means "skin" or "surface" on its own, serves purely as the phonetic. 玻 almost never appears alone, occurring almost exclusively in 玻璃 (bōlí), a phonetic loan that originally referred to imported transparent materials and natural rock crystal before becoming the standard term for manufactured glass. Its structure reveals how early Chinese categorized novel translucent synthetics alongside traditional gemstones, prompted by their shared visual qualities of clarity and luster.

Example Sentences Hide

玻璃杯很干净。

Bō li bēi hěn gān jìng.

The glass is very clean.

小心地上的碎玻璃。

Xiǎo xīn dì shang de suì bō li.

Be careful of the broken glass on the floor.

窗户的玻璃擦得很亮。

Chuāng hu de bō li cā de hěn liàng.

The window glass is wiped very brightly.

这个玻璃花瓶是手工制作的。

Zhè ge bō li huā píng shì shǒu gōng zhì zuò de.

This glass vase is handmade.

实验室需要耐热的玻璃器皿。

Shí yàn shì xū yào nài rè de bō li qì mǐn.

The laboratory needs heat-resistant glassware.

这些玻璃制品容易破碎。

Zhè xiē bō li zhì pǐn róng yì pò suì.

These glass products are easily broken.

他透过玻璃凝望着远处的风景。

Tā tòu guò bō li níng wàng zhe yuǎn chù de fēng jǐng.

He gazed at the distant scenery through the glass.

现代建筑广泛使用玻璃幕墙。

Xiàn dài jiàn zhù guǎng fàn shǐ yòng bō li mù qiáng.

Modern architecture widely uses glass curtain walls.

Related Characters

Component: 王

现 理 全 金 望 球 环 皇 班 玉 弄 玩 狂 玛

Component: 皮

被 破 波 皮 彼 坡 颇 疲 皱 披 跛 陂 铍 帔

Example Words

玻璃 玻尿酸 玻璃杯 毛玻璃 玻利维亚 玻璃球 玻璃纸 玻璃罩 玻璃钢 玻璃体 玻纤 玻色子 窗玻璃