HanziGuru.刨 · bào
刨
bào[bao4]Tone 4

carpenter's plane / to plane / to peel

HSK 7
Multiple Readings (多音字):
Guru Deep Dive

English · carpenter's plane / to plane / to peel

Cached lesson
1 / 1
Topology:Left-right
Strokes:7
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (刂) is narrow and compact, while the right component (包) is wider and must balance the overall width without leaning.
1. Meaning

carpenter's plane (noun) or to plane/shave off wood/peel with a tool (verb)

to dig out or excavate (dialectal or extended usage)
Noun / VerbNeutral#tools#woodwork#actions
Sample Usage
  • 这块木头需要用刨子刨平。
    zhè kuài mùtou xūyào yòng bàozi páopíng.
    This piece of wood needs to be planed flat with a carpenter's plane.
  • 他用刀把萝卜皮刨了。
    tā yòng dāo bǎ luóbo pí bào le.
    He peeled the radish skin off with a knife.
2. Sound
/[pɑʊ̯⁵¹]/Tone: 51
刨
bàobao4
++
`(51)
=bào
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
bao
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Say it like:“bow”ExactTone pitch cue:sharp fall, like a command
Key difference: —
Initial Consonant
b
Type: Unaspirated Bilabial
Sounds like: b as in boy
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air. A tissue in front of lips should stay still.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Both lips closed together, then released with vocal cord vibration.
Final Rhyme
ao
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -ao rhymes with ow in cow
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ow'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T4 (51)
4th Tone (High-Falling)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like an emphatic English 'No!' or command.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the fourth tone (bào) with the first tone (bāo) or second tone (báo). Tone 4 drops immediately and firmly.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful karate chop downwards, mirroring the falling pitch of Tone 4.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (刂) is narrow and compact, while the right component (包) is wider and must balance the overall width without leaning.

4. Components

Radical 刂 · Knife Radical (knife, cutting tool)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 刂 (Indicates cutting, shaving, or shaping tool)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 包 (original sound: bao)

A knife (刂) wraps around or shaves down wood like something wrapped (包), representing a woodworking plane that shaves thin curls off wood.

  • 刂 Knife / cutting tool
  • 包 Phonetic clue providing 'bào' sound
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the knife radical (刂) representing cutting/shaving and 包 providing the phonetic pronunciation 'bào', originally denoting tools used to shave wood smooth.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the physical tool (carpenter's plane) to the action of using the tool (to plane, shave, peel).

  • Traditional woodworking planes in ancient China utilized razor-sharp blades set in wooden blocks, directly captured by the knife radical.
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

A carpenter takes his KNIFE (刂) and WRAPS (包) it into a special wooden block to SHAVE and PLANE wood shavings into curls.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
包
bāobag, package, wrapPhonetic Core (声旁)
跑
páopaw+ 足 (foot)
饱
bǎofull (from eating)+ 饣 (food)
泡
pāobubble, foam, soak+ 氵 (water)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
抱(bào)
抱 has the hand radical (扌) for hugging with arms; 刨 has the knife radical (刂) for cutting and planing.
跑(pǎo)
跑 has the foot radical (足) for running; 刨 has the knife radical (刂).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
木匠用[___]把木头表面推平。
Clue: bào
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the meaning between the noun 'carpenter's plane' (刨zi) and the verb 'to plane/peel' (刨), or mixing up the radicals (扌 vs 刂).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What does the character 刨 mean when combined with the knife radical 刂 and phonetic 包?
Production: How do you write the character for 'to plane or peel (bào)' using a knife radical?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

Search theme
Accent preference

Results are live YouTube search — accents and levels aren't verified.

刨bàocarpenter's plane / to plane / to peel
Speed:
Searching YouTube for native pronunciation videos...
0 / 0
Watch on YouTubeMore Results on YouTube