noun #63,920

Meanings

  1. 1 thumb
  2. 2 leading figure (used in 巨擘)
  3. 3 to split open

Examples

Tā shì yīxué jiè de jùbò.
He is a leading figure in the medical field.
Tā yòng shǒu bǎ chéngzi bò kāi.
She split the orange open with her hands.

Tips

usage
The most common modern use of is 巨擘 (literally 'giant thumb'), meaning an authority or leading figure in a field. It also means to split open by hand.

Components

radical
shǒu
hand
The full hand radical sits at the bottom, fitting both the thumb meaning and the action of tearing something apart with the hands.
phonetic
to open up; ruler
Sits on top and carries the sound, drifted from pì to the modern reading bò. It also faintly supports the 'split open' sense. Seen standing alone as .

Stroke Order