亞麻布 / 亚麻布
yàmábù
In Chinese, linen is said as 亞麻布 / 亚麻布 (yàmábù). If unsure, use 亞麻布 / 亚麻布. Wiktionary also lists 麻布 (mábù).
Meaning: thread or cloth made from flax fiber (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 亞麻布 / 亚麻布 | yàmábù |
| 麻布 | mábù |
The term is used to describe thread or cloth made from flax fiber. Note that the specific term for bedsheets is 床单 (chuáng dān).
What does it mean word for word?
The word 亞麻布 / 亚麻布 is composed of 亞麻 (flax) and 布 (cloth).
Which one should you use?
亞麻布 / 亚麻布 specifically refers to flax-based linen. In contrast, 麻布 is a more general term that can refer to cloth made from various bast fibers, including hemp.
How does it change in a sentence?
It is important to distinguish between the plant and the fabric: 亞麻 (yàmá) refers to the flax plant itself, whereas 亞麻布 / 亚麻布 (yàmábù) refers to the fabric produced from it.
How do you pronounce it?
yàmábù
Did you know?
- The term 麻 (má) is also used in Chinese to describe a 'numb' sensation, such as the tingling feeling after eating Szechuan peppercorns.
- In ancient China, rough hemp cloth 麻布 was used as a form of currency for paying taxes and wages before the widespread use of coinage.
- In traditional Chinese mourning customs, family members would wear coarse 麻布 (hemp cloth) to signal grief and a rejection of luxury.
Examples in context
- 有没有亚麻布Do you have any linen fabric?
- 一块薄亚麻布A piece of thin linen fabric
Sources
- Wiktionary, “linen” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
