薄：bao2 vs bo2

[davoosh]

Hello,

I am a bit confused on which pronunciation to use. I know bao2 is used when it's an adjective by itself meaning thin, such as

这本书很薄

but what about when it is in a compound with the meaning 'thin' such as:

薄唇 is it bao2 or bo2?

Thanks!

[Gharial]

I think in 薄唇 it's pronounced bo2 (as in 薄唇轻言). The bao2 pronunciation only seems to apply to sheet metal, thin paper, pancake wraps, and brittle biscuits LOL (going by the compounds given in my Far East dictionary, which makes a change/is handy in that it is arranged by radicals rather than by Pinyin, with heterophonic items thus either in the same, or in immediately adjacent, entries (so I can see straight away that in this particular instance, in addition to bao2 or bo2, there is also bo4 [in an adjacent entry], which is to do with peppermint)).

[Wesley Zhu]

Honestly, it's really difficult for us native speakers, too. We often mixed them up.

I think “bao” often appears independently, and in oral Chinese. eg. 这本书很薄。

“bo” often appears in words and idioms. 薄情, 轻薄

Following Chinese website has more.

http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/317195553.html