剥

• Pinyin: bāo
• Hanzi breakdown: 剥 = 录 (phonetic) + 刂(knife radical)

Meaning

To peel; to shell; to strip off.

Describes removing the outer layer of something, such as peeling fruit, shelling nuts, or stripping bark. Note: pronounced bāo in colloquial usage (peeling), bō in formal/written contexts.

Examples

1. 她边看电视边剥花生吃。 She watched TV while shelling peanuts to eat.
2. 帮我把这些虾剥一下壳。 Help me peel these shrimp.
3. 小孩子还不太会剥橘子皮。 Little kids aren't very good at peeling oranges yet.

Usage Guide

Context: food preparation, everyday

Tone: practical

Do Say

• 把鸡蛋壳剥掉。(Peel off the eggshell.)
• 剥好的虾仁。(Peeled shrimp.)

Don't Say

• 把切东西说成'剥' (Don't use 剥 for cutting — it specifically means removing outer layers)

Origin & History

Pictophonetic: 刂(knife) + 录 (phonetic). Peeling with a knife-like action.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal