字母表
zìmǔbiǎo
The English phrase "abc" (meaning an alphabet primer) is translated into Chinese as 字母表 (zìmǔbiǎo).
The term 字母表 is used to refer to any alphabet, including the Latin alphabet (English alphabet) or the Greek alphabet. 拉丁字母 is a formal way to say Latin alphabet in Chinese.
Meaning: primer for learning the alphabet (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 字母表 is composed of 字母 (letter) and 表 (table/list).
How do you pronounce it?
zìmǔbiǎo
Did you know?
- Chinese students often use 'ABC' as a slang acronym for 'American Born Chinese' to describe people of Chinese descent born in the US.
- The word 字母 for 'letter' literally translates to 'seed mother'. This describes the way a single character serves as the root from which a whole word grows.
- The character 表 in 字母表 is the same character used in words for 'watch' or 'clock', such as 手表.
Examples in context
- 我会背英文的字母表。Wǒ huì bèi Yīngwén de zìmǔbiǎo.I can recite the English alphabet.
Example conversation
Yuting and Junjie are at a bookstore.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，你在看什么？Jùnjié, nǐ zài kàn shénme?Junjie, what are you looking at?
- 俊杰 Junjie我在找一本字母表。Wǒ zài zhǎo yī běn zìmǔbiǎo.I am looking for an alphabet primer.
- 雨婷 Yuting你需要学英语吗？Nǐ xūyào xué Yīngyǔ ma?Do you need to learn English?
- 俊杰 Junjie是的，我想开始学习。Shì de, wǒ xiǎng kāishǐ xuéxí.Yes, I want to start learning.
