gài
verb HSK 4 #2,046

Meanings

  1. 1 to cover; to put a lid on
  2. 2 lid; cover; top
  3. 3 to build; to construct

Characters

Contains (vessel/dish) at the bottom — a lid placed over a container.

Examples

Qǐng bǎ guōgài gài shàng.
Please put the lid on the pot.
Tāmen zài zhèlǐ gài le yí dòng xīn lóu.
They built a new building here.
Yòng tǎnzi gài zhù shēntǐ.
Cover your body with a blanket.

Tips

usage
has three distinct meanings: (1) to cover (被子, cover with a blanket), (2) a lid (瓶盖, bottle cap), and (3) to build (房子, build a house). The 'build' meaning is colloquial — (jiàn) is more formal.
grammar
盖章 (gài zhāng) means to stamp a seal — very common in Chinese bureaucracy. Official documents need a red stamp () to be valid.

Stroke Order

gài