Dictionary › 泡

泡

pào

Old HSK 6 HSK 3.0 character level 6 Character

泡 (pào) means "puffed; swollen; spongy; small lake (esp. in place names); classifier for urine or feces". It is an HSK 3.0 level 6 word, and was HSK 6 in the old six-level list.

What 泡 means

1. bubble; foam
2. blister
3. to soak; to steep; to infuse
4. to dawdle; to loiter
5. to pick up (a girl)
6. to get off with (a sexual partner)
7. classifier for occurrences of an action
8. classifier for number of infusions

Other readings

泡 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• pāopuffed; swollen; spongy; small lake (esp. in place names); classifier for urine or feces

Example sentences

• 灯泡发光。
  Dēngpào fāguāng.
  A light bulb gives light.
• 她正在泡茶。
  Tā zhèngzài pàochá.
  She was making tea.
• 他亲自泡茶。
  He himself made tea.
• 她给我泡了茶。
  She made tea for me.
• 给我们泡杯茶。
  Make us some tea.
• 三个灯泡烧坏了。
  Sān gè dēngpào shāo huài le.
  Three bulbs have burned out.

Words starting with 泡

• 泡沫pào mòfoam; (soap) bubble; (economic) bubble
• 泡泡pào paobubbles
• 泡菜pào càipickled cabbage
• 泡茶pào cháto make tea
• 泡汤pào tāng(colloquial) to fizzle out; to come to nothing; to dawdle; to stall…
• 泡影pào yǐng(lit.) froth and shadows; (fig.) illusion; mirage
• 泡泡糖pào pào tángbubble gum
• 泡吧pào bāto spend time in a bar (alcohol, Internet etc); to go clubbing
• 泡子pāo zismall lake; pond
• 泡水pào shuǐto infuse; to soak in water
• 泡发pào fāto reconstitute (dried mushrooms, seaweed etc)
• 泡脚pào jiǎoto soak the feet
• 泡制pào zhìto infuse; to brew (a herbal remedy or beverage)
• 泡货pāo huòlight but bulky goods
• 泡饭pào fànto soak cooked rice in soup or water; cooked rice reheated in boiling water
• 泡面pào miàninstant noodles; (Taiwan) pirated software
• 泡打粉pào dǎ fěnbaking powder
• 泡泡浴pào pào yùbubble bath
• 泡病号pào bìng hàoto dilly-dally on the pretence of being ill; to malinger
• 泡菜国Pào cài guó(slang) South Korea
• 泡菜球pào cài qiúpickleball
• 泡泡浴露pào pào yù lùbubble bath lotion
• 泡泡口香糖pào pào kǒu xiāng tángbubble-gum
• 泡温泉pào wēn quánto soak in a spa or hot spring

Words containing 泡

• 浸泡jìn pàoto steep; to soak; to immerse
• 灯泡dēng pàolight bulb; see also 电灯泡; third-wheel or unwanted third party spoiling a couple's date…
• 水泡shuǐ pàobubble; blister
• 冲泡chōng pàoto add water (or other liquid) to…
• 气泡qì pàobubble; blister (in metal); (of beverages) sparkling
• 电灯泡diàn dēng pàolight bulb; (slang) unwanted third guest
• 肥皂泡féi zào pàosoap bubble
• 起泡qǐ pàoto bubble; to foam; to blister
• 小泡xiǎo pàovesicles
• 油泡yóu pàoto sauté; bubbles that appear in the oil when deep-frying
• 液泡yè pào(biology) vacuole
• 滤泡lǜ pàofollicle
• 发泡fā pàoto produce foam; (of a beverage) fizzy; sparkling
• 香泡xiāng pàocitron (Citrus medica)
• 鱼泡yú pàoswim bladder (of a fish)
• 气泡布qì pào bùbubble wrap
• 气泡酒qì pào jiǔsparkling wine
• 发泡剂fā pào jìfoaming agent; blowing agent
• 发泡胶fā pào jiāoexpanded polystyrene (EPS); styrofoam
• 磨起泡mó qǐ pàofriction blister
• 化为泡影huà wéi pào yǐng(idiom) to come to nothing
• 梦幻泡影mèng huàn pào yǐng(Buddhism) illusion; pipe dream
• 终成泡影zhōng chéng pào yǐng(idiom) to come to nothing
• 脑子有泡nǎo zi yǒu pàosoft in the head; brainless; dumb

Characters built on 包

These share the phonetic component 包 (bāo), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 抱bàoto hold; to carry (in one's arms); to hug
• 跑pǎoto run; to run away; to escape
• 胞bāoplacenta; womb; born of the same parents
• 炮pàocannon; firecracker
• 鲍bàoabalone
• 饱bǎoto eat till full; satisfied
• 袍páogown (lined)
• 疱pàopimple; acne; blister

Characters that look like 泡

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 洗xǐto wash; to bathe; to develop (photographs); to shuffle (cards etc)
• 抱bàoto hold; to carry (in one's arms); to hug
• 逃táoto escape; to run away; to flee
• 胞bāoplacenta; womb; born of the same parents
• 炮pàocannon; firecracker
• 孢bāospore

Sounds the same

Read pào, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 炮cannon; firecracker
• 疱pimple; acne; blister
• 礮ancient ballista for throwing heavy stones; variant of 炮
• 麭pastry; cake

Go deeper

• Every HSK 6 word, with the rest of its level.
• How characters are built from components.
• How to learn Chinese characters.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read pào correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.