册 (cè) · book; booklet; volume

Meanings

1 book; booklet; volume
2 measure word for volumes/copies

Characters

册

cè

book; volume; measure word for volumes

Originally depicted bamboo strips bound together - an ancient book

Examples

HSK 3

请拿出你们的课本第二册。

Qǐng náchū nǐmen de kèběn dì'èr cè.

Please take out volume two of your textbook.

HSK 4

手册上有详细的说明。

Shǒucè shàng yǒu xiángxì de shuōmíng.

The handbook has detailed instructions.

HSK 5

这套书一共有十册。

Zhè tào shū yígòng yǒu shí cè.

This set of books has ten volumes in total.

Tips

usage

册 as a measure word counts volumes: 一册书 (one volume). 手册 (shǒucè) = handbook. 画册 (huàcè) = picture album. 纪念册 (jìniàncè) = commemorative album.

Components

pictograph

册 cè

book; volume; bound bamboo slips

Pictograph of a bundle of bamboo writing strips lashed together with a cord - the original Chinese book before paper. Vertical pairs are the slips; the long horizontal is the binding string. Indexed under Kangxi #13 冂 (jiōng) by tradition via the outer framing shape. Survives in 手册, 画册, 一册.

Filed under radical 冂 (jiōng, #13) by convention. 冂 is not a separate component in 册, so no strokes are highlighted.