薄 Stroke Order — How to Write 薄
薄 is written in 17 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 艹, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
薄 Radical and Character Components
薄 is a phono-semantic compound: 艹 (grass) carries the meaning, while 溥 indicates the sound.
Radical: 艹 + 13 more strokes
薄 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- báo
- bó
- bò
Meanings of 薄 in Chinese
1
báo薄
Thin (of thickness); flimsy.
他切了一片薄薄的肉片。
He sliced a very thin piece of meat.
cold, unenthusiastic; to treat coolly or indifferently
她对新来的同事有些薄待。
She treated the new colleague a bit coolly.
Thin or weak in taste; bland.
这汤味道有点薄。
This soup is a bit bland.
infertile or barren (of land)
这块土地太薄了，种不出好庄稼
This piece of land is too infertile to grow good crops.
2
bó薄
When pronounced 'bó', this character is used in compound words and idioms to mean 'thin', 'slight', or 'meager', similar to 'báo', often conveying a sense of superficiality, lack of depth, or insufficiency. Examples include '厚薄' (thickness/thinness), '浅薄' (shallow/superficial), '尖嘴薄舌' (sharp-tongued).
他的见解显得有些浅薄。
His insights appear somewhat shallow.
Slight, meager, or thin, often referring to something small in quantity or value.
这点薄礼，不成敬意
This small gift is just a token of my regard.
Not serious or kind; heartless, harsh, or frivolous.
她说话很刻薄，常常让人感到不舒服。
Her words are very harsh, often making people uncomfortable.
To despise; to belittle; to look down upon.
我们不应该鄙薄任何人的努力。
We should not belittle anyone's efforts.
Lacking in substance or strength; weak, fragile (as in '薄弱', bóruò).
他的意志力很薄弱。
His willpower is very weak.
To approach or draw near, often referring to time or the setting sun.
薄暮时分，天边的晚霞美不胜收。
At dusk, the sunset glow in the sky is incredibly beautiful.
Used to describe thin, screen-like objects, often made of bamboo, similar to a curtain or a blind.
用竹薄遮挡阳光。
Use a bamboo screen to block the sun.
3
bò薄
mint; a perennial herb (Mentha spp.) with a cool, refreshing fragrance, often used in medicine and for its flavor.
薄荷糖有清新的味道。
Mint candy has a refreshing taste.
Common Words and Phrases with 薄
1
dim; dusky; twilight
傍晚时分，小巷里显得有些薄暗，路灯还没亮起来。
In the evening, the alley appeared somewhat dim, and the streetlights hadn't turned on yet.
2
A wide, thin sheet of metal or other material.
这种新型合金薄板非常轻，适合用于航空航天。
This new type of alloy sheet is very light and suitable for aerospace applications.
3
A thin pancake or flatbread, often made from dough, cooked on a pan, and sometimes separated into two layers.
妈妈做了好吃的薄饼，我们用它卷菜吃
Mom made delicious thin flatbreads; we used them to wrap dishes.
4
A thin sheet or an extremely thin layer of material.
这种新型材料表面有一层透明的薄层，可以保护内部不受磨损。
The surface of this new material has a transparent thin layer that can protect the interior from wear.
5
A small or meager estate; a humble property.
他一生清贫，仅靠祖上留下的几亩薄产维持生计。
He lived a frugal life, relying solely on the meager property inherited from his ancestors to make ends meet.
6
slight remuneration; small reward
尽管这项工作耗费了他很多时间和精力，他最终只得到了微薄的报酬，但他依然乐在其中。
Although this work cost him a lot of time and effort, he ultimately received only meager compensation, but he still enjoyed it.
7
treat ungenerously
这家餐厅因薄待顾客而名声不佳，服务态度冷淡，菜品份量不足。
This restaurant has a bad reputation for treating its customers poorly, with indifferent service and insufficient portion sizes.
8
Mint, an aromatic herb known for its refreshing flavor and often used in food, drinks, and medicine.
她喜欢在茶里加一片薄荷叶，这样味道会更清新。
She likes to add a mint leaf to her tea, which makes the taste fresher.
9
Humble or meager skill; often used self-deprecatingly to refer to one's own craft.
我这点薄技，在各位专家面前实在不值一提。
My humble skills are truly not worth mentioning in the presence of all you experts.
10
wine of low alcoholic content; diluted wine; (humble) humble wine offered to guests
家中备有薄酒，不成敬意，只求与君共饮，畅叙友情。
My humble home has prepared some light wine; it's not much, but I only wish to drink with you and enjoy our friendship.
11
small profits; meager profits
尽管这家商店薄利多销，但因为销量大，总利润还是很可观的。
Despite operating on a low profit margin, this shop achieves a considerable overall profit due to high sales volume.
12
Small profits but quick turnover, a business strategy where products are sold at low profit margins in large quantities to achieve a substantial overall profit.
这家新开的超市通过薄利多销的策略，很快吸引了大量顾客。
This newly opened supermarket quickly attracted a large number of customers by adopting a strategy of small profits but quick returns.
13
Dim light, especially at dawn or dusk.
在薄明时分，渔夫们已经驾着小船出海了
At dawn's early light, the fishermen had already sailed their small boats out to sea.
14
born under an unlucky star; having an unfortunate destiny or a short and unhappy life
她自幼多病，一生坎坷，真是红颜薄命。
She was frequently ill from a young age and had a difficult life, truly a beautiful woman with an unfortunate fate.
15
Thin film; a thin, flexible layer or sheet of material.
这种手机屏幕的保护薄膜非常耐用。
The protective film on this phone screen is very durable.
16
More words with 薄
- kè刻bó薄Mean, Harsh
- dān单bó薄thin, flimsy
- dàn淡bó薄indifferent, light
- fěi菲bó薄meager, slight
- hòu厚bó薄thickness
- jí瘠bó薄Barren or unfertile (of land).
- jiāo浇bó薄Frivolous, Ungenerous
- xī稀bó薄thin, sparse
- mián绵báo薄meager, humble
- pēn喷bó薄burst forth, surge forth
- qīng轻bó薄light and thin, slim
- wēi微bó薄meager, slight
- bǐ鄙bó薄despise, disdain
- guǎ寡bó薄meager, scanty
- jīng精báo薄very thin
- liǎn脸báo薄Shy, Bashful
- lín林bó薄Sparse forest, Sparse woods
- qiǎn浅bó薄shallow, superficial
- tiāo佻bó薄Frivolous, light-minded
- yàn厌bó薄To despise; to look down upon.
Idioms with 薄
- bó薄jì技zài在shēn身possess a minor skill
- bó薄mù暮míng冥míng冥dim and dark dusk
- bó薄qíng情wú无yì义heartless and disloyal
- bó薄yǎng养hòu厚zàng葬meager support in life, lavish funeral in death
- cái才bó薄zhì智qiǎn浅of meager intellect and little learning
- dé德bó薄cái才shū疏of meager virtue and shallow talent
- dé德bó薄néng能xiǎn鲜meager virtue and scanty ability
- dé德báo薄wàng望qiǎn浅of low moral standing and little prestige
- diāo刁zuān钻kè刻bó薄cunning, malicious, and harsh
- duǎn短jiàn见bó薄shí识short-sighted and narrow-minded
- fěi菲shí食bó薄yī衣live a very frugal and simple life
- fú浮míng名bó薄lì利fleeting fame, meager profit
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Open the tool →Questions about 薄
What does 薄 mean in Chinese?
薄 (báo) means “Thin (of thickness)” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 薄?
薄 has 3 pronunciations: báo, bó, bò.
How many strokes does 薄 have?
薄 has 17 strokes.
How do you write 薄?
薄 is written in 17 strokes, starting from the radical 艹. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 薄?
The radical of 薄 is 艹, and 薄 is a phono-semantic compound.
