伯 bó — older brother · English

伯

bó

older brother

At a glance · 伯

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「伯」从人从白，金文象长兄居首，小篆承之。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「伯」本义为长兄、老大，引申伯父、伯爵。

Structure

从人、白声，形声兼会意，白表长义，本为长子、伯父。

At a glance

Pinyinbó

Radical亻

Strokes7

UnicodeU+4F2F

Character type会意

Theme人伦

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English older brother older brother; father's elder brother; senior male 'sire'; feudal rank 'count'

Français oncle aîné Oncle aîné. «诸姑伯叔» : l'oncle aîné (frère du père).

Español tío mayor Tío mayor. «诸姑伯叔»: el tío mayor (hermano del padre).

العربية عمّ أكبر عمّ أكبر. «诸姑伯叔»: العمّ الأكبر (أخو الأب).

Русский старший дядя Старший дядя. «诸姑伯叔»: старший брат отца.

Common words

伯伯bó bouncle
伯父bó fùuncle

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