📘 Intermediate — key word for HSK 3-4
Meaning
Classifier for books and bound volumes (especially multi-volume sets).
🏮 Cultural Story
中文 Chinese
“册”是汉字里最像画的字之一——甲骨文就是几片竹简用绳子串起来，正是“书”最早的模样。古人把竹简编在一起叫一“册”，今天我们说一套书有“十册”，用的还是三千年前那个意思。
English
**册 (cè)** is one of the most pictographic characters — its oracle-bone form shows bamboo slips tied together with string, the original shape of 'book.' Ancient people called a bound set of bamboo slips one 册; today when we say a series has 'ten 册,' we're using the exact same meaning from 3000 years ago.
💡 Memory Tip
册 is for bound volumes/books, especially multi-volume sets. For a single book, 本 is more common; 册 emphasizes the physical bound volume. (册/部/本 all relate to books — see the comparison page.)
Examples
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Classifier for books and bound volumes (especially multi-volume sets).