Definitions
(noun)
soap
(adjective)
black
Etymology
About
The character "皂" originally signified the color black, a sense preserved in historical compounds such as "皂隶" denoting minor officials who wore dark garments. Its structural composition, which combines the element for "white" (白) with the component "七", creates a visual paradox relative to its early semantic value, a discrepancy often explained through processes of phonetic borrowing or gradual orthographic modification. The semantic trajectory of the character shifted substantially when it was later employed to represent soap, a meaning derived from the dark, paste-like substance produced by combining animal fats with plant alkalines in traditional cleaning preparations. This association with soap eventually became the character's dominant modern meaning, largely displacing its earlier chromatic reference in common usage.
Example Sentences Hide
这块肥皂很香。
我用香皂洗了脸。
皂盒里有一块新肥皂。
古代的皂角可以用来清洁。
请把皂液倒入洗衣机。
这块手工皂的成分很天然。
他的脸色变得皂白分明。
这种皂化反应是制作肥皂的关键步骤。