Chinese word

哺乳

Pronunciation

Pinyinbǔ rǔ

Meaning

  • verbbreastfeed

Example

妈妈在客厅给宝宝哺乳。mā mā zài kè tīng gěi báo bǎo bú rǔ

Mom is breastfeeding the baby in the living room.

Illustration for 哺乳 (breastfeed)

More examples

出院后，护士教她如何正确哺乳。chū yuàn hòu hù shì jiào tā rú hé zhèng què bú rǔ

After she was discharged, the nurse taught her how to breastfeed properly.

Core concept

A mother nourishes a baby or young animal directly with milk from her body.

Common phrases

  • 给宝宝哺乳gěi báo bǎo bú rǔ

    breastfeed the baby

  • 在医院哺乳zài yī yuàn bú rǔ

    breastfeed in the hospital

  • 开始哺乳kāi shǐ bú rǔ

    begin breastfeeding

Similar words

喂奶wèi nǎi: Give a baby breast milk or formula to drink.
喂wèi: Give a person or animal food or drink to eat or drink.
喂养wèi yǎng: Nourish and care for a baby or animal by providing food over time.

Definition in Chinese

用自己的乳汁给婴儿或幼小动物喂食的行为或过程。yòng zì jǐ de rǔ zhī gěi yīng ér huò yòu xiǎo dòng wù wèi shí de xíng wéi huò guò chéng

Word origin

哺乳 (bǔrǔ, "breastfeed") combines 哺 (bǔ, "feed") and 乳 (rǔ, "milk"), forming a literal image of feeding milk to a young child or animal.

Usage tips

  • In everyday conversation, this verb sounds more formal than the wording commonly used in family talk, so it appears especially often in medical, childcare, and written contexts.

Other meanings

  • breastfeedingnoun

Opposites

  • 断奶duàn nǎiweanverb
  • 人工喂养rén gōng wèi yǎngartificially feedverb

Related words

  • 哺乳瓶bú rǔ píngbaby bottlenoun
  • 哺乳期bú rǔ qībreastfeeding periodnoun
  • 哺乳动物bú rǔ dòng wùmammalnoun

Word lists with this word