卜

蔔

bǔ, bó

Definitions

bǔ (verb) to divine; to foretell

bo (noun) turnip

Etymology

Pictograph of a crack on a bone. In ancient China such cracks were used for fortune-telling.

About

The character 卜 originated as a pictograph of the cracks formed on animal bones or tortoise shells when heated for divination, depicting a main fissure and a shorter offshoot. Its form, a vertical stroke intersected by a shorter lateral stroke, serves as a semantic and phonetic component in characters linked to foresight and fortune-telling. Over time, the meaning shifted from the physical act of reading such cracks to the broader idea of divination, including predicting the future or seeking supernatural guidance, and it endures as a radical that categorizes other characters with mystical associations.

Example Sentences Hide

妈妈买了红萝卜。

Māma mǎi le hóng luóbo.

Mom bought carrots.

今天晚餐有萝卜汤。

Jīntiān wǎncān yǒu luóbo tāng.

There is radish soup for dinner tonight.

他用萝卜做了沙拉。

Tā yòng luóbo zuò le shālā.

He made salad with radishes.

卜卦预测未来并不科学。

Bǔguà yùcè wèilái bìng bù kēxué.

Divination to predict the future is not scientific.

古代人常用占卜决定大事。

Gǔdài rén cháng yòng zhānbǔ juédìng dàshì.

Ancient people often used divination to decide important matters.

这位巫师精通各种卜术。

Zhè wèi wūshī jīngtōng gè zhǒng bǔ shù.

This wizard is proficient in various divination techniques.

在市场上，白萝卜和红萝卜都很便宜。

Zài shìchǎng shàng, bái luóbo hé hóng luóbo dōu hěn piányi.

In the market, white radishes and carrots are both very cheap.

虽然卜卦结果如此，但他还是坚持自己的选择。

Suīrán bǔguà jiéguǒ rúcǐ, dàn tā háishì jiānchí zìjǐ de xuǎnzé.

Although the divination result was like this, he still insisted on his own choice.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 卜

卜

Definitions

Etymology

About

Example Sentences Hide

Related Characters

Example Words