书 (shū): abbr. for 書經|书经, book, letter
书 (shū) is a Chinese character meaning “book.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 丨 (structural). It ranks #282 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 书 a mark made by a pen ⺺. Its radical form 乙 (second) appears in many related characters such as 九 (jiǔ, nine), 也 (yě, also), 习 (xí, (bound form) to practice).
Definitions
- abbr. for 書經|书经
- book
- letter
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA mark made by a pen ⺺
Stroke Order
Practice writing 书 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 书
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 图书馆noun | tú shū guǎn | library | 3 |
| 读书verb | dú shū | to read a book | 1 |
| 秘书noun | mì shū | secretary | 5 |
| 电子书noun | diàn zǐ shū | electronic book | 3 |
| 书店noun | shū diàn | bookstore | 1 |
| 书面adjective | shū miàn | in writing | 6 |
| 书房noun | shū fáng | study (room) | 5 |
| 证书noun | zhèng shū | credentials | 5 |
| 书籍noun | shū jí | books | 6 |
| 图书noun | tú shū | books (in a library or bookstore) | 5 |
| 念书verb | niàn shū | to read | 6 |
| 书包noun | shū bāo | schoolbag | 2 |
| 说明书noun | shuō míng shū | (technical) manual | 4 |
| 书写verb | shū xiě | to write | 6 |
| 书架noun | shū jià | bookshelf | 5 |
| 书法noun | shū fǎ | calligraphy | 5 |
| 书画noun | shū huà | painting and calligraphy | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 教书verb | jiāo shū | to work as a teacher |
| 文书 | wén shū | document |
| 书呆子noun | shū dāi zi | bookworm |
| 遗书noun | yí shū | posthumous writing |
| 情书noun | qíng shū | love letter |
| 书名 | shū míng | name of a book |
| 书本noun | shū běn | book (chiefly used to refer to a plurality of books or books in general) |
| 书桌noun | shū zhuō | desk |
| 畅销书noun | chàng xiāo shū | best-seller |
| 请愿书noun | qǐng yuàn shū | petition |
| 教科书 | jiào kē shū | textbook |
| 协议书noun | xié yì shū | contract |
| 申请书noun | shēn qǐng shū | application |
| 秘书长noun | mì shū zhǎng | secretary-general |
| 订书机noun | dìng shū jī | stapler |
书 appears in 114 compound words: 33 as the first character, 64 as the last, and 3 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 书 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (34)
"burning of books and burying of scholars" (an event in the Qin dynasty)
Showing 12 of 34 idioms containing 书.
Example Sentences
老师教我们书字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men shū zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the characters.
...最古老美术馆/南半球最大露天市集/最美图书馆
. . . zuì gǔ lǎo měi shù guǎn nán bàn qiú zuì dà lù tiān shì jí zuì měi tú shū guǎn
... The oldest art museum / the largest open-air market in the southern hemisphere / the most beautiful library
军校成长相册丨纸短情长,家书见证学员成长
jūn jiào chéng cháng xiāng cè 丨 zhǐ duǎn qíng cháng , jiā shū jiàn zhèng xué yuán chéng cháng
Military Academy Growth Album丨The paper is short and the love is long, and the family letter witnesses the growth of the cadets
福遍县地区书记官庆马年 陪审员获酬劳红包
fú biàn xiàn dì qū shū jì guān qìng mǎ nián péi shěn yuán huò chóu láo hóng bāo
Fubian County District Clerk celebrates the Year of the Horse Jurors receive paid red envelopes
微视频|冀望米兰·一封家书——致河北运动员何凯乐
wēi shì pín 冀 wàng mǐ lán yī fēng jiā shū — — zhì hé běi yùn dòng yuán hé kǎi lè
Micro video|Hope Milan A letter from home - to Hebei athlete He Kaile
爱读书的工地大叔走红后第一个春节:继续种地、看...
ài dòu shū de gōng dì dà shū zǒu hóng hòu dì yī gè chūn jié : jì xù zhǒng dì , kàn . . .
The first Spring Festival after the construction site uncle who loves to read became popular: continue to farm, watch...
这本书我能借多久？
Zhè běn shū wǒ néng jiè duōjiǔ?
How long can I borrow this book?
你知道现在哪本书卖得好吗？
Nǐ zhīdào xiànzài nǎ běn shū mài de hǎo ma?
Do you know which book sells well now?
读这种的书有什么用？
Dú zhèzhǒng de shū yǒu shénme yòng?
What is the good of reading such books?
你赞成他在书中说的话吗？
Nǐ zànchéng tā zài shū zhōng shuō dehuà ma?
Do you agree with what he says in the book?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 书 (shū) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 书 have?
What is the radical of 书?
What are the components of 书?
What are common words containing 书?
What characters sound the same as 书 (shū)?
Is 书 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 书 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.