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(běn) - measure word for books; originally, this in Mandarin

běn

Traditional: 本

Line drawing of 本
Coloured illustration of 本
HSK 1
#693 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

measure word for books; originally, this

Word origin

本 is an indicative character: it shows the pictograph 木 'tree' with a short stroke marking the lower part, pointing to the root or base of the tree. From 'root' it extended to senses of origin, basis, and (as a measure word) bound volumes.

Origin
ideograph
Root
木 (tree) with a stroke marking the root

Stroke order

Stroke order for 本

Examples

I have three books.

This magazine is interesting.

I personally was not aware.

I bought a new book.

There are three magazines on the table.

Where this fits

Appears in 3 words

Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 本.

Used in

Grammar articles

(41)

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Mandarin · Free printables

本: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "本" (measure word for books; originally, this): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

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This word is part of lesson 14.