帛 (bó): silk; silk fabric (general term)

Meanings

1 silk; silk fabric (general term)

Characters

帛

bó

silk

Examples

古人在竹简和帛上写字。

Gǔrén zài zhújiǎn hé bó shàng xiězì.

In ancient times people wrote on silk and bamboo slips.

玉帛曾是重要的外交礼物。

Yù bó céng shì zhòngyào de wàijiāo lǐwù.

Jade and silk were once important diplomatic gifts.

Tips

culture

Appears in 玉帛 (jade and silk), classical symbols of wealth and diplomacy, and 化干戈为玉帛, literally 'turn weapons into jade and silk', meaning to turn hostility into peace.

Components

radical

巾 jīn

cloth; cloth radical

The cloth radical at the base, the meaning carrier: anything made of woven fabric. It anchors the character firmly in the textile family.

phonetic

白 bái

white

Sits on top and supplies the sound, read 白 and shifted to bó here. Its sense of 'white' also suits undyed plain silk.

Stroke Order

帛 bó

Related Words

化干戈为玉帛 huàgāngēwéiyùbó

to turn weapons into jade and silk / to turn hostility into friendship / to make peace

披帛 pībó

pibo (long silk shawl/stole, a Tang-dynasty women's accessory)

节气 jiéqì HSK 7-9 #82,720

solar term (one of 24 divisions of the solar year) / seasonal marker

琴 qín HSK 5 #5,576

guqin (ancient Chinese zither) / a general term for musical instruments (in compounds)

毛发 máofà #7,951

body hair; hair (general term) / hair and fur

概论 gàilùn HSK 7-9 #72,164

introduction (to a subject) / general discussion / outline

薄 báo HSK 4 #5,281

thin (of flat objects: paper, fabric, slices) / light; weak (of flavor, color, density) / cold; indifferent (of manner)

布 bù HSK 3 #1,729

cloth; fabric / to spread; to lay out / to announce; to declare

称之为 chēngzhīwéi #4,355

to call it; to refer to it as / to term it as

大会 dàhuì HSK 4 #3,316

general assembly; convention / congress; grand meeting