薄 (báo): thin
薄 (báo) is a Chinese character meaning “thin.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 艹 (semantic) and 溥 (phonetic). It ranks #1424 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 薄 grass. Its radical form 艹 (grass) appears in many related characters such as 花 (huā, flower), 茶 (chá, tea), 菜 (cài, vegetable, dish).
Definitions
- thin
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 薄 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 薄
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 刻薄 | kè bó | unkind |
| 薄饼 | báo bǐng | thin flat cake |
| 薄荷 | bò he | mint (plant) |
| 薄荷糖 | bò he táng | mint (confectionery) |
| 浅薄 | qiǎn bó | superficial |
| 稀薄 | xī bó | thin |
| 微薄 | wēi bó | scanty |
| 单薄 | dān bó | weak |
| 如履薄冰 | rú lǚ bó bīng | lit. as if walking on thin ice (idiom) |
| 薄膜 | bó mó | membrane |
| 薄片 | báo piàn | thin slice |
| 轻薄 | qīng bó | light (weight) |
| 薄雾 | bó wù | mist |
| 薄荷油 | bò he yóu | peppermint oil |
| 妄自菲薄 | wàng zì fěi bó | to be unduly humble (idiom) |
薄 appears in 95 compound words: 48 as the first character, 27 as the last, and 24 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 薄 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (17)
to gradually acquire knowledge, and make use of it when needed; good preparation is the key to success
to be on the verge of eruption (idiom); (of the sun) to emerge in all its brilliance
to be on the verge of eruption (idiom); (of the sun) to emerge in all its brilliance
Showing 12 of 17 idioms containing 薄.
Example Sentences
这本书很薄,一天就可以读完。
Zhè běn shū hěn báo, yì tiān jiù kěyǐ dú wán.
This book is very thin; it can be finished in one day.
...有一两阵微雨 日间温暖市区约26度 晚有薄雾
. . . yǒu yī liǎng zhèn wēi yǔ rì jiān wēn nuǎn shì qū yuē 2 6 dù wǎn yǒu báo wù
...There will be a light shower or two; it will be warm during the day, with temperatures around 26°C in the city, and there will be light fog in the evening.
双男张腿憋尿勒肚子小腹凸的是腹壁薄弱吗?疝气早期表现需排查
shuāng nán zhāng tuǐ biē niào lè dù zǐ xiǎo fù tū de shì fù bì báo ruò ma ? 疝 qì zǎo qī biǎo xiàn xū pái chá
Do two men with their legs spread apart, holding in their urine, and a protruding lower abdomen have weak abdominal walls? Early signs of a hernia should be investigated.
...科白斑怎么治疗才能彻底根除?老年患者皮肤薄慎用强效激素吗
. . . kē bái bān zěn má zhì liáo cái néng chè de gēn chú ? lǎo nián huàn zhě pí fū báo shèn yòng qiáng xiào jī sù ma
...How can vitiligo be treated to ensure it is completely cured? Should elderly patients with thin skin exercise caution when using potent corticosteroids?
超薄旗舰踢铁板!三星高层罕见认销售不佳、下一...
chāo báo qí jiàn tī tiě bǎn ! sān xīng gāo céng hǎn jiàn rèn xiāo shòu bù jiā , xià yī . . .
Ultra-thin flagship kicks the iron plate! Samsung's top management rarely admits that sales are poor, and the next...
黃婉恩重回單身後衣着更大膽 穿吊帶薄紗裙海邊大晒凹凸有致身材
黃 wǎn ēn chóng huí 單 shēn 後 yī zhe gēng dà 膽 chuān diào 帶 báo 紗 qún hǎi 邊 dà shài āo tū yǒu zhì shēn cái
After returning to singleness, Huang Wanen dressed more boldly, wearing a suspender tulle skirt and a sunny and convex figure on the beach
我们登得愈高,空气就愈稀薄。
Wǒmen dēng de yù gāo, kōngqì jiù yù xībó.
The higher we go up, the thinner the air becomes.
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.
透过薄雾,我隐约看见了我的未来。
Tòuguò bówù, wǒ yǐnyuē kànjiàn le wǒ de wèilái.
In looking through the mist, I caught a glimpse of my future.
嗨, 我要一个炸薄饼卷。
Hāi, wǒ yào yī gè zhá báobǐng juǎn.
Hi, I'd like a deep-fried pizza roll.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 薄 (báo) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 薄 and 厚?
How many strokes does 薄 have?
What is the radical of 薄?
What are the components of 薄?
What are common words containing 薄?
What characters sound the same as 薄 (báo)?
Is 薄 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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