布满

• Pinyin: bù mǎn
• Hanzi breakdown: 布 = 巾 (cloth) radical, to spread; 满 = 氵(water) + 两 + 月, full

Meaning

Covered with; spread all over; full of. Describes a surface completely filled with something.

A verb indicating that something is densely distributed across a surface. Often used for natural phenomena (星星布满天空), physical features (皱纹布满脸), or accumulated objects (灰尘布满桌面). Suggests thoroughness or completeness of coverage.

Examples

1. 老人的脸上布满了皱纹，诉说着岁月的痕迹。 The old man's face was covered with wrinkles, telling the story of the years.
2. 夜空布满繁星，美得让人窒息。 The night sky was full of stars, so beautiful it took your breath away.
3. 这本旧书布满灰尘，显然很久没人翻过了。 This old book is covered in dust — clearly no one has looked at it for a long time.

Usage Guide

Context: description, literary, observation

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 天空布满乌云，看起来要下雨了。(The sky is covered with dark clouds — it looks like it's going to rain.)
• 这块木板布满了裂痕。(This wooden board is covered with cracks.)

Don't Say

• 不要用'布满'形容稀疏分布的事物 (Don't use 布满 for sparsely distributed things — it implies dense, thorough coverage)

Origin & History

Compound of 布 (to spread, distribute) + 满 (full). Indicates spreading to fullness.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal