Dictionary › 薄

薄

bó

HSK 5 Character

What 薄 means

1. meager
2. slight
3. weak
4. ungenerous or unkind
5. frivolous
6. to despise
7. to belittle
8. to look down on
9. to approach or near

Other readings

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

• báothin; cold in manner; indifferent
• Bósurname Bo
• bòsee {薄荷|bò he}

Example sentences

• 把肉切成薄片。
  Bǎ ròu qiēchéng báopiàn.
  Cut the meat into thin slices.
• 女人薄情善变。
  Nǚrén bóqíng shànbiàn.
  A woman is ever fickle and changeable.
• 山顶上空气稀薄。
  The air is thin at the summit.
• 穿那幺薄会感冒的。
  You'll catch cold in such thin clothing.
• 穿那幺薄，小心感冒。
  You'll catch cold in such thin clothing.
• 她衣衫单薄，恐会着凉。
  Tā yīshān dānbó, kǒng huì zháoliáng.
  She wore such thin clothes that she might well catch a cold.

Words starting with 薄

• 薄弱bó ruòweak; frail
• 薄荷bò hemint (plant); Taiwan pr. bò hé
• 薄熙来Bó Xī láiBo Xilai (1949-), PRC politician, appointed to the Politburo in 2007, sentenced in 2013…
• 薄雾bó wùmist; haze
• 薄一波Bó Yī bōBo Yibo (1908-2007), ranking PRC politician, served on State Council from 1950s to 1980s…
• 薄膜bó mómembrane; film
• 薄片báo piànthin slice; thin section; flake
• 薄纱báo shāgauze (cloth)
• 薄利bó lìsmall profits
• 薄厚bó hòumeanness and generosity; intimacy and alienation
• 薄命bó mìngto be born under an unlucky star (usu. of women); to be born unlucky
• 薄地bó dìbarren land; poor soil
• 薄层báo céngthin layer; thin slice; film
• 薄幸bó xìngfickle; inconstant person
• 薄待bó dàimean treatment; indifference; meager hospitality
• 薄情bó qínginconstant in love; fickle
• 薄技bó jìmeager skill; my poor talents (humble)
• 薄明bó míngdim light; early dawn
• 薄暗bó ànat dusk; evening
• 薄板báo bǎnthin plate; sheet; lamina
• 薄海bó hǎivast area; all the way to the sea
• 薄产bó chǎnmeager estate; small means
• 薄田bó tiánbarren field; poor land
• 薄礼bó lǐmy meager gift (humble)

Words containing 薄

• 单薄dān bóweak; frail; thin
• 微薄wēi bóscanty; meager
• 浅薄qiǎn bósuperficial
• 刻薄kè bóunkind; harsh; cutting
• 淡薄dàn bóthin; light; flagging
• 轻薄qīng bólight (weight); frivolous; a philanderer
• 稀薄xī bóthin; rarefied
• 如履薄冰rú lǚ bó bīng(lit.) as if walking on thin ice (idiom); (fig.) extremely cautious
• 厚薄hòu báothickness; also pr. hòu bó
• 尖酸刻薄jiān suān kè bósharp and unkind (words)
• 命薄mìng bóto be unlucky
• 喷薄pēn bóto gush; to squirt; to surge
• 摊薄tān báo(finance) to dilute (earnings per share)
• 脸薄liǎn báobashful; shy
• 菲薄fěi bóhumble; meager; thin
• 厚薄规hòu bó guīfeeler gauge
• 脸皮薄liǎn pí báothin-skinned; sensitive
• 香薄荷xiāng bò hesavory (herb)
• 势单力薄shì dān lì bó(idiom) lacking strength and support
• 厚古薄今hòu gǔ bó jīnto revere the past and neglect the present (idiom)
• 厚此薄彼hòu cǐ bó bǐto favour one and discriminate against the other
• 厚死薄生hòu sǐ bó shēnglit. to praise the dead and revile the living; fig. to live in the past (idiom)
• 厚积薄发hòu jī bó fālit. to have accumulated knowledge and deliver it slowly (idiom)…
• 喷薄欲出pēn bó yù chūto be on the verge of eruption (idiom); (of the sun) to emerge in all its brilliance

Characters that look like 薄

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

• 摩móto rub
• 霜shuāngfrost; white powder or cream spread over a surface; frosting
• 暹xiānsunrise
• 潭tándeep pool; pond; pit (dialect)
• 罹líhappen to; sorrow; suffer from
• 懑mènmelancholy

Sounds the same

Read bó, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 博(bound form) abundant; plentiful; extensive; wide; to win; to gain; to play; to gamble
• 膊shoulder; upper arm
• 脖neck
• 伯father's elder brother; senior; paternal elder uncle
• 勃flourishing; prosperous; suddenly
• 驳variegated; heterogeneous; to refute
• 舶ship
• 搏to fight; to combat; to seize
• 泊to moor (a boat); to park (a vehicle); (literary) calm; quiet; peaceful
• 帛silk
• 卜used in 萝卜
• 铂platinum (chemistry)