鲍

鮑

bào

包 + 鱼

Definitions

bào surname Bao

bào abalone

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 鱼 represents the meaning and 包 represents the sound. Simplified form of 鮑.

Semantic: 鱼 Phonetic: 包

About

鲍 is a phonosemantic compound: the left side 鱼 (yú, 'fish') marks the semantic category, and the right side 包 (bāo) supplies the pronunciation. The traditional form is 鮑, which uses the unsimplified 魚 radical. In ancient texts, this character referred specifically to salted, dried, or pickled fish, a preservation method notorious for its strong, pungent odor. Over time, the primary definition shifted away from preserved fish; today it almost exclusively designates abalone, a highly prized edible sea snail and delicacy in Chinese cuisine. It is also a common surname.

Etymology Hide

Bronze Mid Spring and Autumn (~600 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical Western Jin dynasty (266-316 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这个鲍鱼很新鲜。

Zhège bàoyú hěn xīnxiān.

This abalone is very fresh.

鲍先生是位医生。

Bào xiānshēng shì wèi yīshēng.

Mr. Bao is a doctor.

妈妈买了些鲍鱼做饭。

Māmā mǎi le xiē bàoyú zuò fàn.

Mom bought some abalone to cook.

鲍鱼的价格非常昂贵。

Bàoyú de jiàgé fēicháng ángguì.

The price of abalone is very expensive.

我们在海鲜餐厅吃了鲍鱼。

Wǒmen zài hǎixiān cāntīng chī le bàoyú.

We ate abalone at the seafood restaurant.

鲍菇是一种美味的食用菌。

Bào gū shì yī zhǒng měiwèi de shíyòng jūn.

Abalone mushroom is a type of delicious edible fungus.

由于过度捕捞，鲍鱼数量减少。

Yóuyú guòdù bǔlāo, bàoyú shùliàng jiǎnshǎo.

Due to overfishing, the number of abalone has decreased.

鲍鱼养殖业近年来发展迅速。

Bàoyú yǎngzhí yè jìnnián lái fāzhǎn xùnsù.

The abalone farming industry has developed rapidly in recent years.

Related Characters

Component: 包

Component: 鱼

鲍