布 bù — diffuse; extend; notify; to declare; to announce; to spread
妈妈用一块布做了一个袋子。Mā ma yòng yí kuài bù zuò le yí ge dài zi.Mom made a bag out of a piece of cloth.
Common words: 宣布 (xuān bù)、公布 (gōng bù)、布置 (bù zhì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to declare"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to declare", including 布 (bù), 宣 (xuān). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to declare" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 布 (bù), 宣 (xuān) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span bù, xuān — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 布 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 布 bùdiffuse; extend; notify; to declare; to announce; to spreadUseful words: 宣布, 公布
- 宣 xuānto declare (publicly); to announceUseful words: 宣布, 宣传
Common words for these 2 "to declare" characters
Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 布 (bù) — so "to declare" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
宣布xuān bùto declare; to announce; to proclaim公布gōng bùto announce; to make public; to publish布置bù zhìto arrange; to set up; to lay out; to assign (tasks, homework etc)宣布xuān bùto declare; to announce; to proclaim宣传xuān chuánto disseminate; to give publicity to; propaganda宣誓xuān shìto swear an oath (of office); to make a vow
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 2 ways to say "to declare".
宣 xuān — to declare (publicly); to announce
老师向大家宣布了一个好消息。Lǎo shī xiàng dà jiā xuān bù le yí ge hǎo xiāo xi.The teacher announced a piece of good news to everyone.
Common words: 宣布 (xuān bù)、宣传 (xuān chuán)、宣誓 (xuān shì)
All 2 characters
Open 布、宣 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.