哺 bǔ to chew
to chew; to feed
怎么记住“哺”: 口 mouth + 甫 seedling bed = to chew. With its tiny mouth already full, the hedgehog in Grandpa's seedling bed still finds plenty of lettuce to chew.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
哺 = 口 mouth + 甫 seedling bed
- 口 mouth meaning
- 甫 seedling bed sound
With its tiny mouth already full, the hedgehog in Grandpa's seedling bed still finds plenty of lettuce to chew.
How it came to be
The mouth gives the meaning and the right part the sound.
用法
- To feed young from the mouth/breast: 哺乳 (bǔrǔ) to breastfeed, 哺育 (bǔyù) to nurture/raise, 反哺 (fǎnbǔ) to repay one's parents (as fledglings feed their old).
- 哺乳动物 (bǔrǔ dòngwù) = mammals: literally 'breast-feeding animals'.
- Written/biological register; the image is nourishing offspring.