片 piān / piàn — disc; sheet; a slice; piece; flake; thin
他吃了一片面包。Tā chī le yí piàn miàn bāo.He ate a slice of bread.
Common words: 照片 (zhào piàn)、图片 (tú piàn)、影片 (yǐng piàn)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "thin"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "thin", including 片 (piān / piàn), 细 (xì), 薄 (bó / bò / báo), 薄 (bó / bò / báo), 瘦 (shòu), 疏 (shū). Study pinyin…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "thin" covers 6 different Chinese characters — 片 (piān / piàn), 细 (xì), 薄 (bó / bò / báo), 薄 (bó / bò / báo), 瘦 (shòu), 疏 (shū) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 6 characters do not share a sound — their readings span piān, piàn, xì, bó, bò, báo, and more — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 片 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 片 piān / piàndisc; sheet; a slice; piece; flake; thinUseful words: 照片, 图片
- 细 xìfine; minutely; thin; slenderUseful words: 仔细, 细节
- 薄 bó / bò / báomean; slight; thin; thin; slight; meagreUseful words: 薄弱, 单薄
- 薄 bó / bò / báomean; slight; thin; thin; slight; meagreUseful words: 薄弱, 单薄
- 瘦 shòutight; thin; leanUseful words: 瘦子, 瘦小
Common words for these 6 "thin" characters
Anchor each of these 6 characters in a word you can picture — start with 片 (piān / piàn) — so "thin" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
照片zhào piànphotograph图片tú piànpicture; photograph影片yǐng piàna copy of a film; film; motion picture; movie仔细zǐ xìcareful; attentive; cautious; to be careful细节xì jiédetails; particulars详细xiáng xìdetailed; in detail; minute薄弱bó ruòweak; frail单薄dān bóweak; frail; thin; flimsy薄地bó dìbarren land; poor soil薄弱bó ruòweak; frail
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 6 ways to say "thin".
细 xì — fine; minutely; thin; slender
请仔细看清楚题目。Qǐng zǐ xì kàn qīng chu tí mù.Please read the question carefully.
Common words: 仔细 (zǐ xì)、细节 (xì jié)、详细 (xiáng xì)
薄 bó / bò / báo — mean; slight; thin; thin; slight; meagre
这件衣服太薄了，冬天穿会冷。Zhè jiàn yī fu tài báo le, dōng tiān chuān huì lěng.This piece of clothing is too thin; wearing it in winter will be cold.
Common words: 薄弱 (bó ruò)、单薄 (dān bó)、薄地 (bó dì)
薄 bó / bò / báo — mean; slight; thin; thin; slight; meagre
这件衣服太薄了，冬天穿会冷。Zhè jiàn yī fu tài báo le, dōng tiān chuān huì lěng.This piece of clothing is too thin; wearing it in winter will be cold.
Common words: 薄弱 (bó ruò)、单薄 (dān bó)、薄地 (bó dì)
瘦 shòu — tight; thin; lean
他最近瘦了不少，看起来很精神。Tā zuì jìn shòu le bù shǎo, kàn qǐ lái hěn jīng shen.He has lost quite a bit of weight recently and looks energetic.
Common words: 瘦子 (shòu zi)、瘦小 (shòu xiǎo)、瘦长 (shòu cháng)
疏 shū — negligent; sparse; thin
学习时不能粗心，更不能疏忽大意。Xué xí shí bù néng cū xīn, gèng bù néng shū hu dà yì.When studying, you must not be careless or negligent.
Common words: 疏忽 (shū hu)、生疏 (shēng shū)、疏散 (shū sǎn)
All 6 characters
Open 片、细、薄 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.