菢 (bào) - To hatch (eggs) & to brood

菢Tone 4

bào ｜ 11 strokes ｜ radical:

傲不

菢 · bào

To hatch (eggs);

to brood;

to incubate;

to sit on eggs.

To hatch (eggs)to broodto incubate

Usage highlights

Hatch eggsBrood chicksBrood nestIncubate eggsBrooding henBrooding period

Synonyms

  • 孵— To hatch; to incubate (more common and technical)
  • 抱— To hold; to embrace (used colloquially for 'brood' in some dialects)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • The hen is hatching eggs (母鸡菢蛋).
  • This species broods its young for three weeks (这种鸟菢雏三周).
  • Artificial incubation has replaced natural brooding (人工孵化取代了自然菢窝).
  • The bird sits on its nest (鸟在巢中菢卵).

Collocations

  • Hatch eggs(菢蛋)
  • Brood chicks(菢雏)
  • Brood nest(菢窝)
  • Incubate eggs(菢卵)
  • Brooding hen(菢鸡)
  • Brooding period(菢期)

Idioms

  • Like a hen sitting on eggs(如鸡菢卵)
  • Diligently hatching and nurturing(勤菢善育)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Primarily used in agricultural and ornithological contexts to describe the natural process of egg incubation.
  • The character contains the grass radical (艹), possibly relating to nesting materials or the protective, covering nature of brooding.
  • Less common in modern vernacular, often replaced by more technical terms like 孵化 for artificial incubation.

FAQ