补

補

bǔ

卜 + 衤

HSK 3.0Level 6

Definitions

bǔ (verb) to repair; to patch; to mend

bǔ (verb) to make up for; to compensate

bǔ (verb) to supplement; to fill (a vacancy)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 衤 represents the meaning and 卜 represents the sound. Simplified form of 補.

Semantic: 衤 Phonetic: 卜

About

补 is the simplified form of the traditional character 補, a phono-semantic compound. The left-side radical 衤 (clothing) connects the character to garments, while the right-side component 卜 supplies the pronunciation. The original meaning was the physical act of repairing torn or worn clothes, patching holes, sewing up tears, and restoring them to use. This notion of fixing a material lack by adding something steadily broadened to cover any kind of supplementing, compensating, nourishing, or making up for what is missing in both concrete and abstract situations.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我今天要补课。

Wǒ jīntiān yào bǔkè.

I have to make up a lesson today.

我需要补办护照。

Wǒ xūyào bǔbàn hùzhào.

I need to reapply for a passport.

医生建议我补钙。

Yīshēng jiànyì wǒ bǔ gài.

The doctor advised me to supplement calcium.

因为生病，他需要补考。

Yīnwèi shēngbìng, tā xūyào bǔkǎo.

Because he was sick, he needs to take a make-up exam.

这个补丁打得很好。

Zhège bǔdīng dǎ de hěn hǎo.

This patch is sewn on very well.

公司会补偿你的损失。

Gōngsī huì bǔcháng nǐ de sǔnshī.

The company will compensate for your loss.

为了补充维生素，他多吃水果。

Wèile bǔchōng wéishēngsù, tā duō chī shuǐguǒ.

To supplement vitamins, he eats more fruit.

经过补充调查，证据更加充分。

Jīngguò bǔchōng diàochá, zhèngjù gèngjiā chōngfèn.

After supplementary investigation, the evidence is more sufficient.

Related Characters

Component: 卜

Component: 衤

补