薄

• Pinyin: báo
• Hanzi breakdown: 薄 = 艹 (grass radical) + 溥 (phonetic component), indicating thinness

Meaning

Thin; not thick. Describes something with little depth or thickness.

Used for physical thinness of objects like paper, fabric, ice, or walls. Pronounced báo in spoken Chinese for this meaning. Also has a reading bó in more literary contexts meaning 'slight' or 'weak' (as in 薄弱). In everyday speech, báo is the standard pronunciation for 'thin.'

Examples

1. 冬天穿得太薄容易感冒。 Wearing clothes that are too thin in winter makes it easy to catch a cold.
2. 这张纸太薄了，写字的时候墨水会透过去。 This paper is too thin — the ink bleeds through when you write.
3. 湖面上结了一层很薄的冰。 A very thin layer of ice formed on the surface of the lake.

Usage Guide

Context: description, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 夏天穿薄一点比较凉快。(Wearing thinner clothes in summer is cooler.)
• 这本书很薄，一个小时就能看完。(This book is very thin — you can finish it in an hour.)

Don't Say

• 说'她的脸皮很薄'来夸奖别人 (Be careful with 脸皮薄 — it means 'thin-skinned/shy,' which can be a weakness rather than a compliment)

Origin & History

Composed of 艹 (grass radical) and a phonetic component. Originally related to thin grasses or reeds, the meaning extended to describe anything thin.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal