Meaning
包袱 originally refers to a cloth bundle used to wrap and carry belongings, common in traditional China. It has extended meanings: a psychological or emotional burden one carries, and in xiangsheng (cross-talk comedy), it means a punchline or comedic bit that gets unwrapped for the audience.
Usage
In everyday conversation, 包袱 most often appears in its figurative sense of 'mental burden' or 'baggage,' as in 思想包袱 (ideological burden). In entertainment contexts, especially traditional comedy, it refers to the setup and punchline structure. The literal meaning of a cloth bundle is now somewhat old-fashioned but still understood.
Examples
- 01你要放下思想包袱，轻装上阵。, .You need to let go of your mental burdens and go into battle lightly equipped.
- 02这个相声演员抖包袱的技巧特别好。.This cross-talk comedian is particularly skilled at delivering punchlines.
Characters
Measure words
- 个一个包袱
Common collocations
- 思想包袱mental burden, ideological baggage
- 放下包袱to lay down one's burden, to let go of worries
- 卸下包袱to unload one's burden
- 抖包袱to reveal the punchline (in comedy)
Origin
Combines 包 (to wrap) and 袱 (a piece of cloth), literally meaning a wrapped cloth bundle used historically to carry possessions when traveling.