表
biǎo
watch (timepiece)
meter; gauge
fur (毛) + clothing (衣) = outer surface, watch, gauge
Fur worn on the outside of clothing was the visible, outer layer — something you could read at a glance, like a watch face or gauge. The outer surface became the concept of displaying or measuring what lies within.
你的手表走得准吗？
nǐ de shǒu biǎo zǒu de zhǔn ma？
Does your watch keep accurate time?
墙上的电表坏了，需要换一个新的。
qiáng shàng de diàn biǎo huài le，xū yào huàn yī gè xīn de。
The electricity meter on the wall is broken and needs to be replaced with a new one.
Words with 表
表现
biǎo xiàn
to show
课表
kè biǎo
school timetable
发表
fā biǎo
to issue
表面化
biǎo miàn huà
to come to the surface
全国人民代表大会
quán guó rén mín dài biǎo dà huì
National People's Congress (NPC)
刘表
liú biǎo
Liu Biao (142-208), warlord
代表处
dài biǎo chù
representative office
全权代表
quán quán dài biǎo
a plenipotentiary (representative)
仪表盘
yí biǎo pán
dashboard
电子表格
diàn zǐ biǎo gé
(computing) spreadsheet
时刻表
shí kè biǎo
timetable
表单
biǎo dān
form (document)