紫贝

紫貝

zǐbèi

noun

Measure Word

一只紫贝 zhī

Meanings

1 purple cowrie
2 tiger cowrie (Mauritia arabica and related species)

Characters

Examples

紫贝的壳洁白，有紫色斑纹。

Zǐbèi de ké jiébái, yǒu zǐsè bānwén.

The purple cowrie's shell is white with purple markings.

古代紫贝曾作为货币使用。

Gǔdài zǐbèi céng zuòwéi huòbì shǐyòng.

In ancient times, purple cowries were used as currency.

Tips

culture

Cowrie shells (贝) were among China's earliest currency — which is why characters for money (财, 货, 贵, 贫) all contain the 贝 radical. 紫贝 was prized for its size and markings.

Stroke Order

紫 zǐ

贝 bèi