箔 (bó) - foil — thin sheet of metal & tinsel

箔Tone 2

bó ｜ 14 strokes ｜ radical:

傲不

箔 · bó

foil — thin sheet of metal;

tinsel;

leaf (as in gold leaf);

also refers to reed mat or screen, and metaphorically to a superficial or deceptive appearance.

foil — thin sheet of metaltinselleaf (as in gold leaf)

Usage highlights

Gold foilAluminum foilCopper foilTin foilPaper foilBamboo foil mat

Synonyms

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Aluminum foil (铝箔) is used for wrapping food.
  • Gold leaf (金箔) is used in traditional art and decoration.
  • The magician used a foil (箔) in his trick.
  • A bamboo screen or mat (苇箔).

Collocations

  • Gold foil(金箔)
  • Aluminum foil(铝箔)
  • Copper foil(铜箔)
  • Tin foil(锡箔)
  • Paper foil(纸箔)
  • Bamboo foil mat(竹箔)

Idioms

  • To gild with gold foil(金箔贴金)
  • As thin as foil(薄如蝉翼, though not directly using 箔, conceptually similar)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Historically used in art and craft, especially in gilding with gold or silver leaf.
  • Used in traditional ceremonies, such as burning paper foil (纸箔) as offerings.
  • Metaphorically represents something superficial or decorative rather than substantial.

FAQ