被 bèi — by (marker for passive-voice sentences or clauses); quilt; blanket; to cover; to wear
我的伞被风吹走了。Wǒ de sǎn bèi fēng chuī zǒu le.My umbrella was blown away by the wind.
Common words: 被子 (bèi zi)、被迫 (bèi pò)、被动 (bèi dòng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to cover"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to cover", including 被 (bèi), 包 (bāo), 套 (tào), 冒 (mào), 覆 (fù), 蔽 (bì). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to cover" covers 6 different Chinese characters — 被 (bèi), 包 (bāo), 套 (tào), 冒 (mào), 覆 (fù), 蔽 (bì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 6 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bèi, bāo, tào, mào, fù, bì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 被 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 被 bèiby (marker for passive-voice sentences or clauses); quilt; blanket; to cover; to wearUseful words: 被子, 被迫
- 包 bāoto cover; to wrap; to hold; to include; to take charge of; packageUseful words: 面包, 钱包
- 套 tàoto cover; covering; case; cover; (a measure word; a set of something)Useful words: 外套, 手套
- 冒 màobrave; bold; to coverUseful words: 感冒, 冒险
- 覆 fùto cover; to overflow; to reply to a letter; to overturn; to capsizeUseful words: 覆盖, 颠覆
Common words for these 6 "to cover" characters
Anchor each of these 6 characters in a word you can picture — start with 被 (bèi) — so "to cover" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
被子bèi ziblanket; quilt被迫bèi pòto be compelled; to be forced被动bèi dòngpassive面包miàn bāobread钱包qián bāopurse; wallet书包shū bāoschoolbag; satchel; bookbag外套wài tàoouter garment; jacket; coat手套shǒu tàoglove; mitten套餐tào cānset meal; (fig.) product or service package (e.g. for a cell phone subscription)感冒gǎn màoto catch cold; (common) cold; (coll.) to be interested in (often used in the negative); (Tw) to detest
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 "to cover".
包 bāo — to cover; to wrap; to hold; to include; to take charge of; package
妈妈包的饺子真好吃。Mā ma bāo de jiǎo zi zhēn hǎo chī.The dumplings Mom wrapped are really delicious.
Common words: 面包 (miàn bāo)、钱包 (qián bāo)、书包 (shū bāo)
套 tào — to cover; covering; case; cover; (a measure word; a set of something)
天冷了，他穿上了一套厚衣服。Tiān lěng le, tā chuān shàng le yí tào hòu yī fu.It got cold, so he put on a set of thick clothes.
Common words: 外套 (wài tào)、手套 (shǒu tào)、套餐 (tào cān)
冒 mào — brave; bold; to cover
他冒着大雨把孩子送回了家。Tā mào zhe dà yǔ bǎ hái zi sòng huí le jiā.He braved the heavy rain to take the child home.
Common words: 感冒 (gǎn mào)、冒险 (mào xiǎn)、冒充 (mào chōng)
覆 fù — to cover; to overflow; to reply to a letter; to overturn; to capsize
山顶上覆盖着厚厚的积雪。Shān dǐng shàng fù gài zhe hòu hòu de jī xuě.The mountaintop is covered with thick snow.
Common words: 覆盖 (fù gài)、颠覆 (diān fù)、翻天覆地 (fān tiān fù dì)
蔽 bì — to cover; to shield; to screen; to conceal
茂密的树叶遮蔽了夏日的阳光。Mào mì de shù yè zhē bì le xià rì de yáng guāng.The dense leaves block out the summer sunlight.
Common words: 隐蔽 (yǐn bì)、蒙蔽 (méng bì)、障蔽 (zhàng bì)
All 6 characters
Open 被、包、套 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.