biǎo

watch (timepiece)

meter; gauge

fur (毛) + clothing (衣) = outer surface, watch, gauge

Fur worn on the outside of clothing was the visible, outer layer — something you could read at a glance, like a watch face or gauge. The outer surface became the concept of displaying or measuring what lies within.

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FurSemantic
ClothingSemantic

Words with 表

报税表

bào shuì biǎo

a tax return

登台表演

dēng tái biǎo yǎn

to go on stage

表率

biǎo shuài

example

钟表

zhōng biǎo

clock

周期表

zhōu qī biǎo

periodic table (chemistry)

进度表

jìn dù biǎo

progress chart; schedule

里程表

lǐ chéng biǎo

odometer

量表

liáng biǎo

gauge

金玉其表,败絮其中

jīn yù qí biǎo , bài xù qí zhōng

gilded exterior, shabby and ruined on the inside (idiom)

表冠

biǎo guān

watch crown; winding crown

表带

biǎo dài

watchband; watch strap

表盘

biǎo pán

variant of 表盤|表盘[biao3 pan2]

More characters with 毛