八 is the character for “eight”. It is made out of 2 strokes.
| Chinese Character | Simplified Version | Bopomofo | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 八 | 八 | ㄅㄚ | bā |
Definition
8; eight
Historical Origins
The Chinese character 八 originated as an ideogrammic compound, depicting two bent lines that symbolized the act of dividing. Its original meaning, “to divide,” was later replaced by characters like 分 and 別. Due to its phonetic similarity to the word for “eight,” 八 was borrowed to represent the number, and its original meaning became obsolete.
Vocabulary with the Character 八
| Chinese | Bopomofo | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 八月 | ㄅㄚ ㄩㄝˋ | bā yuè | August |
| 八邊形 | ㄅㄚ ㄅㄧㄢ ㄒㄧㄥˊ | bā biān xíng | Octagon |
| 八方 | ㄅㄚ ㄈㄤ | bā fāng | All directions |
| 八九不離十 | ㄅㄚ ㄐㄧㄡˇ ㄅㄨˋ ㄌㄧˊ ㄕˊ | bā jiǔ bù lí shí | Pretty close; about right |
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