部 (bù): part; section

Meanings

1 part; section
2 department
3 measure word for films, books, machines

Characters

部

bù

part; section; department

Examples

HSK 1

这部电影很好看。

Zhè bù diànyǐng hěn hǎokàn.

This movie is great.

HSK 4

这本书分为三部分。

Zhè běn shū fēnwéi sān bùfen.

This book is divided into three parts.

HSK 5

教育部发布了新规定。

Jiàoyùbù fābù le xīn guīdìng.

The Ministry of Education issued new regulations.

Tips

grammar

部 as a measure word is used for movies (一部电影), books (一部小说), and machines (一部手机 in some dialects).

Components

radical

阝 yì

city; settlement (right-阝)

Right ear 阝 - the simplified side-form of 邑 (city), Kangxi #163. Always on the RIGHT side it marks place names and administrative districts; on the LEFT it would be the hill 阜. 部 originally named an administrative district, hence 'department, ministry, section.' Same radical in 都, 郊, 邻, 郎.

phonetic

咅 pǒu

spit out; reject (phonetic shape)

Left side 咅 - a 立 (stand) over 口 (mouth), historically a phonetic depicting an utterance. Supplies the sound for 部: pǒu → bù with regular labial shift. The same phonetic appears in 倍, 培, 陪, 剖 - a cluster of b-/p- readings.