About
The character "表" originally depicted an outer garment, a meaning derived from its structural composition which combines the radical for "clothing" (衣) with elements representing fur or hair, conceptually pointing to a fur coat worn over other clothes. From this concrete origin, its meaning expanded metaphorically to denote the exterior or surface of things, and by further extension, to manifest or express what is on the inside, giving rise to verbs like "to express" and "to show". This conceptual range also supports its use in words for charts and forms, which are external representations of information. A semantic offshoot related to timekeeping, specifically for portable timepieces, was later distinguished in the traditional script with the addition of a metal radical, creating the character "錶".
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
这块表非常准。
他的表现很出色。
我买了一块新手表。
我代表大家表示感谢。
老师表扬了我的进步。
请填写这张申请表。
从表面上看这很简单。
实验结果用图表表示。