zào

soap

black

white (白) + seven (七) = soap and black

The acorn, historically called 皂, has a dark outer shell — connecting the character to the color black. Soap entered the meaning later, likely through dark soap made from plant matter like acorn husks.

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SevenPhonetic
WhiteSemantic

洗手时要用肥,这样才干净。

xǐ shǒu shí yào yòng féi zào,zhè yàng cái gān jìng。

When washing your hands, you should use soap, so they will be clean.

她买了一块香,放在浴室里。

tā mǎi le yī kuài xiāng zào,fàng zài yù shì lǐ。

She bought a bar of scented soap and put it in the bathroom.

Words with 皂

皂角

zào jiǎo

Chinese honey locust (Gleditsia sinensis)

皂碱

zào jiǎn

soap

青红皂白

qīng hóng zào bái

the rights and wrongs of a matter (idiom)

香皂

xiāng zào

perfumed soap

不分皂白

bù fēn zào bái

not distinguishing black or white (idiom); not to distinguish between right and wrong

不分青红皂白

bù fēn qīng hóng zào bái

not distinguishing red-green or black-white (idiom)

不问青红皂白

bù wèn qīng hóng zào bái

not distinguishing red-green or black-white (idiom)

洗发皂

xǐ fà zào

shampoo

牛骥同皂

niú jì tóng zào

cow and famous steed at the same trough (idiom); fig. the common and the great are treated alike

皂石

zào shí

soapstone

皂矾

zào fán

green vitriol (ferrous sulfate FeSO4:7H2O)

皂荚

zào jiá

Chinese honey locust (Gleditsia sinensis)

More characters with 白