泡

• Pinyin: pào
• Hanzi breakdown: 泡 = 氵(water) + 包 (wrap/phonetic). Soaking in water or bubbles in water.

Meaning

To soak; to steep; bubble; foam.

As verb: 泡茶 (brew tea), 泡澡 (take a bath), 泡面 (instant noodles — soak noodles). Slang: 泡吧 (hang out at bars), 泡妞 (hit on girls). As noun: bubble/foam. The character suggests something emerging when soaked.

Examples

1. 周末在家泡杯茶看看书，是最惬意的事了。 Making a cup of tea and reading at home on the weekend is the most pleasant thing.
2. 这种面只要泡三分钟就能吃。 This type of noodles only needs to soak for three minutes before eating.
3. 小孩子们在院子里吹肥皂泡，玩得很开心。 The children were blowing soap bubbles in the yard, having a great time.

Usage Guide

Context: food, daily life, leisure

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 泡杯茶吧。(Let's make some tea.)
• 衣服先泡一下。(Soak the clothes first.)

Don't Say

• 把泡pào和泡pāo混淆 (pào is soak/bubble; pāo as in 眼泡 means puffy)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic with 水 (water) and 包 phonetic. Something formed or changed by water.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal