Chinese word

布

Pronunciation

Pinyinbù

Meaning

  • nouncloth

Example

这块布可以擦桌子。zhè kuài bù ké yǐ cā zhuō zi

This cloth can be used to wipe the table.

Illustration for 布 (cloth)

More examples

她用旧布做了一个包。tā yòng jiù bù zuò le yí gè bāo

She made a bag from old cloth.

Core concept

Woven fiber material that can mean the material as a whole or a single piece cut from it.

Common phrases

  • 一块布yí kuài bù

    a piece of cloth

  • 抹布mā bù

    cleaning cloth

  • 棉布mián bù

    cotton cloth

Similar words

衣服yī fú: A fabric product made for wearing on the body.
被子bèi zi: A thick and warm cloth covering used on a bed.
毛巾máo jīn: A soft cloth for wiping and drying the body or hair.

Definition in Chinese

指由纤维纺织成的织物或布地，口语中常指一块布或布料本身。zhǐ yóu xiān wéi fǎng zhī chéng de zhī wù huò bù dì kóu yǔ zhōng cháng zhǐ yí kuài bù huò bù liào běn shēn

Word origin

The character 布 (bù, "cloth") combines 巾 (jīn, "cloth") for the meaning with 父 (fù, "father") as a sound component.

Usage tips

  • For one piece, everyday Chinese commonly puts 块 (kuài, "piece") before the noun, so the material can be counted by piece without changing the noun itself.

Other meanings

  • fabricnoun
  • textilenoun

Related words

Word lists with this word