biǎo
noun HSK 2 #1,763

Measure Word

kuài

Meanings

  1. 1 watch
  2. 2 meter
  3. 3 form

Characters

Originally depicted fur on the outside of clothing — the outer surface

Examples

Nǐ de biǎo jǐ diǎn le?
What time is it on your watch?
Qǐng tián yīxià zhège biǎo.
Please fill out this form.
Wǒ mǎi le yī kuài xīn biǎo.
I bought a new watch.

Tips

usage
As 'watch': 手表 (shǒubiǎo). As 'form/table': 表格 (biǎogé). As 'to express': that's the verb usage (表示, 表达).
mistakes
The traditional character specifically means 'watch/timepiece'. The more general is used for 'to express' and 'form/table'.

Components

radical
clothing; garment
Bottom garment radical (Kangxi #145) — also mildly contracted to 5 strokes (standalone has 6) because the top horizontal of was absorbed into the above. The indexing radical of . Together with the fur on top: 'fur worn on the outside of clothing' = the visible / outer / surface side of things. Same radical anchors , , , — the clothing family.
semantic
máo
fur; hair
Top fur/hair — a pictograph of a tuft of animal hair. Here mildly contracted to 3 strokes (standalone has 4); the bottom hook gets absorbed into the below. Carries the literal etymology: originally pictured fur on the OUTSIDE of clothing — the hide-side of a fur garment, which is what shows on the surface. Hence every modern sense of : outside, surface, show, express, watch-face.

Stroke Order

biǎo