鼻子 (bízi) — nose

鼻子 (bízi)

鼻子 is the everyday word for nose — the organ used for breathing and smelling. 鼻 is the main character and zi is a neutral-tone noun suffix commonly added to body part words in Chinese. 鼻 alone can appear in compound words and formal writing.

Meanings

1. [noun] Nose; the facial organ of smell and breathing.

Example Sentences

他的鼻子很高，像外国人。 Tā de bízi hěn gāo, xiàng wàiguórén. He has a high nose bridge, like a foreigner.

我感冒了，鼻子一直在流鼻涕。 Wǒ gǎnmào le, bízi yīzhí zài liú bítì. I have a cold and my nose keeps running.

这朵花闻起来很香，把鼻子凑近去闻。 Zhè duǒ huā wén qǐlái hěn xiāng, bǎ bízi còu jìn qù wén. This flower smells beautiful — bring your nose close and smell it.

他的鼻子对气味特别灵敏。 Tā de bízi duì qìwèi tèbié língmǐn. His nose is especially sensitive to smells.

Collocations

Memory Hook

The character 鼻 is a pictograph-based character. Look at it: the top portion 自 (self / oneself) was originally a drawing of a nose (people pointed to their own nose to say "me" in ancient Chinese). The bottom adds a breathing component — the self-part that breathes.