包 bāo parcel
parcel; bag; to wrap; to include
How to remember 包: 勹 wrap + 巳 snake = parcel. The pet shop owner carefully wraps a sleeping snake in a warm towel before the courier takes the wriggling parcel.
Component breakdown
包 = 勹 wrap + 巳 snake
- 勹 wrap
- 巳 snake
The pet shop owner carefully wraps a sleeping snake in a warm towel before the courier takes the wriggling parcel.
How it came to be
A figure bent right over with a child still curled inside the fold. The old dictionary reads it as a pregnancy: the wrapping and the thing wrapped, drawn as one shape.
How it is used
- As a verb, to wrap or wrap up - 包饺子 (bāo jiǎozi) wrap dumplings, 包装 (bāozhuāng) packaging; extended to 'include' - 包括 (bāokuò), 包含 (bāohán).
- As a noun, a bag or bundle: 书包 (shūbāo) schoolbag, 背包 (bēibāo) backpack, 面包 (miànbāo) bread.
- 红包 (hóngbāo) is a red envelope of gift money; 包子 (bāozi) a steamed stuffed bun.
Characters built with 包
Words with 包
- 包子bāozisteamed stuffed bunHSK 1
- 面包miànbāobreadHSK 1
- 书包shūbāoschoolbagHSK 2
- 红包hóngbāomoney wrapped in red as a giftHSK 4
- 背包bēibāoknapsackHSK 4
- 包含bāohánto containHSK 5
- 包括bāokuòto compriseHSK 5
- 包装bāozhuāngto wrapHSK 5
- 包裹bāoguǒto wrap upHSK 5
- 打包dǎbāoto wrapHSK 5
- 包围bāowéito surroundHSK 7
- 包容bāoróngto pardonHSK 7
- 包庇bāobìto shieldHSK 8
- 包扎bāozāto wrap upHSK 8
- 包罗万象bāoluó-wànxiàngall-embracingHSK 8
- 包袱bāofuwrapping clothHSK 8
- 承包chéngbāoto contractHSK 8
- 掏腰包tāoyāobāoto dip into one's pocketHSK 8
Example sentences
- 请帮我把它包起来。 Qǐng bāng wǒ bǎ tā bāo qǐlai.Please help me wrap it up.
- 盘子里有一片面包。 Pánzi lǐ yǒu yī piàn miànbāo.There's a slice of bread on the plate.
- 药片都包着一层糖衣。 Yàopiàn dōu bāozhe yī céng tángyī.All the pills are coated with sugar.
- 他丢了钱包，很着急。 Tā diū le qiánbāo, hěn zháojí.He lost his wallet and is very worried.