# Pronunciation: 薄



## yuechu

Hello/大家好,

I was looking up the word 薄 today and noticed that it has two main pronunciations: bo2 and bao2 (and I suppose bo4 for 薄荷, right). Is this difference in pronunciation similar to 熟 (shou2, shu2) in that they are pretty much interchangeable, and one is more common in 口语 and the other in a proper pronunciation/书面语? (for example: the dictionary has 熟悉 as shu2xi1, even though you can also pronounce it shou2xi1)
(If, however, they are differentiated according to the situation, would anyone have any good examples of situations where it is pronounced bo2 opposed to bao2 (and vice versa) ?)

Thanks/谢谢！


----------



## surpriseme

Hi,

薄 does have 3 pronunciations as you mentioned. They are all correct, not like 熟 which has only one correct pronunciation(shu2). Although Chinese pronounce 熟（shou2) a lot, in fact it's not correct.

I think bo4 is only used in the word 薄荷. 薄 bao2 means thin, it's a adjective. 薄 bo2 is usually used in idioms or compound words, such as 薄命，浅薄，妄自菲薄.


----------



## yuechu

Thanks for your help, surpriseme!


----------



## sesame_fr

薄 bo2 can also be the name of familly


----------



## yuechu

Hello again! I recently came across the word 薄壁 which I assume to mean "thin wall". Should the pronunciation be bo2bi4 or bao2bi4? I notice that both pronunciations came up in Google Pinyin.

Here is the paragraph where I read it:

何南挺乐意向爷爷和老爸展示他的设计的，他让爷爷和老爸坐在电脑前，他给他们看屏幕上的拐棍设计图：“你们看这拐棍是*薄壁*钛合金的管，在同样强度下比木头做的还轻，红木雕刻的龙头，龙口含的珠子，是遥控器的显示灯，还可以设定开关电视，换台，室内电灯的开关，拐棍中部还有手电，晚上要出去遛弯还可以照照亮，这儿是报警器…。”
(北京青年， p. 63)


----------



## reer

bao2bi4


----------



## yuechu

Thanks, reer!


----------



## fyl

I think #1 is basically correct that bao2 vs bo2 is just like shou2 vs shu2. This is 文白异读. (BTW, 熟shou2 exists in all dictionaries I have consulted and it is a correct pronunciation.)
Other examples of 文白异读 include
落lao vs luo: http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/pronunciation-落.3051175/
嚼jiao vs jue: http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/pronunciation-嚼.2396508/
And I had an incomplete list of similar 文白异读s in a previous post http://forum.wordreference.com/threads/pronunciation-着想.2173696/#post-14567822

Typically the two sounds came from one sound in middle Chinese. In modern standardizations, for some of these characters only one sound is chosen, for some others the two sounds are distinguished by meanings (though the gap is not clear), and there are also some that the two pronunciations are equivalent. And in different dialects people may have different level of acceptance of the 文/白 pronunciation.

To me, even bo2bi4 is not wrong, though it's just a bit too '文'. Here bao2bi4 is better.


----------



## yuechu

It looks like there are a lot of other characters where this phenomenon exists! I didn't realize that this is also a case of 文白异读. Thanks for your reply, fyl!


----------



## retrogradedwithwind

薄皮大馅 must be bao2.
薄壁…… both are acceptable.


----------



## kareno999

baosheng said:


> It looks like there are a lot of other characters where this phenomenon exists! I didn't realize that this is also a case of 文白异读. Thanks for your reply, fyl!


Most of these characters with two readings are 入声字, i.e., having constant endings in middle Chinese. I don't know what's the mechanism behind but somehow there was a vowel shift when the consonant endings (especially k-ending) were dropped.
E.g., 薄 bao/bo k-ending (c.f., Japanese haku, Korean bak, Cantonese bok)
落 lao/luo k-ending (Japanese raku, Korean lak/nak, Cantonese lok)
嚼 jiao/jue k-ending (Japanese shaku, Korean jak, Cantonese jeuk)
熟 shou/shu k-ending (Japanese jyuku, Korean suk, Cantonese suk)
烙 lao/luo k-ending (Japanese raku, Korean lak/nak, Cantonese lok)
You can see the pattern already.


----------



## yuechu

I read 薄 in a novel today. Here is the context: "老天待我不薄，让我在节前的晚上免费观看了一部献礼片。。。"
Should this be read as báo or bó? (and what does it mean here?)
Thanks!


----------



## ktdd

不薄 = 厚
厚待 = 优厚的待遇 = generous treatment
so it means "老天 treats me not ungenerously" 
and I prefer báo


----------



## yuechu

Thanks, ktdd!


----------



## Skatinginbc

台灣的薄bo2皮嫩雞, 大陸的薄bao2皮餡餅。
北京電視台的"食全食美"節目, 曾介紹過新疆"薄皮包子"。新疆籍的特別來賓讀bo2, 兩位主持人一位讀bo2, 另一位讀bao2.

待我不薄 ==> 我習慣讀 bao2.


----------



## yuechu

大家好！

How do you pronounce 薄 in this context?
以前祖師都不敢浪費，都說自己無福消受。別人供養好吃的給印光大師，印光大師就給倓虛老法師。說自己福薄，無福消受。

Thanks!


----------



## Jack12345

yuechu said:


> 福薄，


Here, 薄 bo 2, meaning is 轻微，少。比如：～礼。～产。～命。～寒。～酬。菲～。
福薄，就是缺少福气，没有福气。因为福气少，所以别人给予的好事（福）消受不了。


----------



## yuechu

Thanks, Jack12345!


----------



## SimonTsai

Most of the time I pronounce it bo2. The only case where I pronounce it bao2 is '瀏海打薄'.


Skatinginbc said:


> 待我不薄 ==> 我習慣讀 bao2.


I would pronounce it bo2.


----------



## albert_laosong

薄 might be one of the most confusing character with mutiple pronunciations in Chinese.   
I'm sometimes confused as to which one to use. I think it's more decided by personal preference. 

Contrary to the #2 reply, I think bo2 is more used colloquially and is more common, while bao4 is used in certain phrases. But it's difficult to work out a rule here. 
待我不薄-->I think bao2 and bo2 are both ok.
瀏海打薄 -->I prefer bao2 too, but I think bo2 is ok too.
这条被子太薄了--> I prefer bo2, but bao2 is also ok.
For～礼，～命，菲～，福~，I think bo2 is much better than bao4.


----------



## yuechu

How about in 薄茶? Would you say  báo or bó? Does it literally mean "weak tea"?
Thanks!


----------



## SimonTsai

(bo, 2)


----------



## yuechu

Thanks, SimonTsai!


----------



## Skatinginbc

báo 語音（口語）vs. bó 讀音 (書面語、文言）

市井俗語:
《紅樓夢》我的姑娘！我們的頭皮兒薄báo (比喻沒有力量、沒有地位)，比不得你們。
《金瓶梅》你娘與了我些什麼兒，他還說我小眼薄báo皮 (比喻識見短淺，愛貪小利)，愛人家的東西。
口語: 很薄báo, 太薄báo, 打薄báo

書面語:《醒世姻緣傳》蒙老父師如天之度，僅以薄bó懲。
文言:《紅樓夢》誠為命薄bó人矣！


yuechu said:


> "老天待我不薄，让我在节前的晚上免费观看了一部献礼片。。。"


這是「說」故事, 用口語的風格撰作的小說。所以我的第一反應是「語音」: "待我不薄báo".


yuechu said:


> 以前祖師都不敢浪費，都說自己無福消受。別人供養好吃的給印光大師，印光大師就給倓虛老法師。說自己福薄，無福消受。


這是「寫」故事, 用書面語描述過去發生的事。所以我的第一反應是「讀音」: "福薄bó".
口語: 我福薄báo，配不上你!
文言: 《北史》我薄bó福，託劉氏為女。


yuechu said:


> How about in 薄茶?


「薄茶」文謅謅的,  似文言的「薄bó酒知君笑督郵」。所以我的第一反應是「讀音」: "薄bó茶"。


----------

