Chinese word

肥皂

Pronunciation

Pinyinféi zào

Meaning

  • nounsoap

Example

把肥皂放在浴室里。bǎ féi zào fàng zài yù shì lǐ

Put the soap in the bathroom.

Illustration for 肥皂 (soap)

More examples

肥皂泡在阳光下很快就会破裂。féi zào pào zài yáng guāng xià hěn kuài jiù huì pò liè

Soap bubbles burst quickly in sunlight.

Core concept

A substance or bar rubbed with water to loosen oil-based dirt so it can be washed from the body or from cloth.

Common phrases

  • 一块肥皂yí kuài féi zào

    a bar of soap

  • 用肥皂洗手yòng féi zào xí shǒu

    wash hands with soap

  • 肥皂泡féi zào pào

    soap bubbles

Similar words

香皂xiāng zào: A scented bar of cleanser used for cleaning the hands or body.
洗手液xí shǒu yè: A hand-washing cleanser in liquid form.
洗衣皂xǐ yī zào: A bar of cleanser used to clean clothing.
沐浴露mù yù lù: A body-washing cleanser in liquid form.

Definition in Chinese

一种以油脂为主要原料，经皂化制得的洗涤用品，常用于人体和织物的清洁，能乳化并带走油性污渍。yì zhǒng yǐ yóu zhī wéi zhǔ yào yuán liào jīng zào huà zhì dé de xǐ dí yòng pǐn cháng yòng yú rén tǐ hé zhī wù de qīng jié néng rǔ huà bìng dài zǒu yóu xìng wū zì

Word origin

肥 (féi, "fat") + 皂 (zào, "soap") combines the idea of a fatty raw material with an older word for a cleansing product.

Usage tips

  • Chinese product names often add the intended use, such as bathing or laundry, because the bare noun does not always identify which kind of soap is meant.

Related words

  • 肥皂水féi zào shuǐsoapy waternoun
  • 肥皂盒féi zào hésoap dishnoun
  • 肥皂剧féi zào jùsoap operanoun

Word lists with this word