HSK 3.0 · LEVEL 1
本
Root, origin, source, or a measure word for books.
Free Chinese vocabulary flashcard · HSK 1
Why does 本 look like this?
The character '本' is a simple but clever drawing! It starts with the character for 'tree' (木). Notice that horizontal stroke at the bottom? That's a marker pointing to the roots of the tree. So, the character literally means 'roots' or 'the base' of something!