Chinese word

玻璃杯

Pronunciation

Pinyinbō lí bēi

Meaning

  • nounglass

Example

请把玻璃杯放在桌子上。qǐng bǎ bō lí bēi fàng zài zhuō zi shàng

Please put the glass on the table.

Illustration for 玻璃杯 (glass)

More examples

小心，别把玻璃杯打碎了。xiǎo xīn bié bǎ bō lí bēi dǎ suì le

Be careful not to break the glass.

Core concept

A transparent drinking vessel made of hard, breakable glass.

Common phrases

  • 一个玻璃杯yí gè bō lí bēi

    a glass

  • 洗玻璃杯xǐ bō lí bēi

    wash a glass

  • 打碎玻璃杯dǎ suì bō lí bēi

    break a glass

Similar words

杯子bēi zi: A container used for drinking, without specifying its material or exact type.
水杯shuǐ bēi: A common cup for water and other daily drinks in homes and schools.
纸杯zhǐ bēi: A paper cup designed for one-time use with drinks.

Definition in Chinese

用玻璃制成的饮用杯，通常透明且易碎，用来盛水或其他饮料。yòng bō lí zhì chéng de yǐn yòng bēi tōng cháng tòu míng qiě yì suì yòng lái shèng shuǐ huò qí tā yǐn liào

Word origin

玻璃 (bōlí, "glass") is an old sound-based borrowing, and 杯 (bēi, "cup") adds the drinking-vessel meaning to form 玻璃杯 (bōlíbēi, "glass cup").

Usage tips

  • English uses glass for both the material and a drinking vessel, but this Chinese word makes the vessel explicit, preventing confusion with the substance alone.

Other meanings

  • cupnoun
  • tumblernoun

Word lists with this word