HanziGuru.乏 · fá
乏
fá[fa2]Tone 2

short of, tired

HSK 5
Guru Deep Dive

English · short of, tired

Cached lesson
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Topology:Single character
Strokes:3
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top horizontal-hook stroke centered and balanced over the bottom falling strokes so the character does not lean to one side.
1. Meaning

tired, fatigued

short of, lackingdeficient
AdjectiveNeutral#physical state#quantity#energy
Sample Usage
  • 他今天觉得很乏。
    tā jīntiān juéde hěn fá.
    He feels very tired today.
  • 缺乏
    quēfá
    to lack, to be short of
2. Sound
/[fa³⁵]/Tone: 35
乏
fáfa2
++
´(35)
=fá
Initial Consonant
f
Type: Labiodental Fricative
Sounds like: f sound as in 'fat'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Top teeth resting lightly on the lower lip while air is continuously pushed out.
Final Rhyme
a
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: -a rhymes with 'ah'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ah'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 rises like asking a question in English, such as saying 'What?' with an upward inflection.
👂
Listening trap: Do not confuse Tone 2 (rising 35) with Tone 4 (falling 51), or it might sound like an entirely different syllable.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture starting from chest level and moving up diagonally to the right, matching the upward pitch of Tone 2.
3. Writing

Topology: Single character · Strokes: 3 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the top horizontal-hook stroke centered and balanced over the bottom falling strokes so the character does not lean to one side.

4. Components

Radical 丿 · Slash Radical (slash stroke)

A pictographic representation of a person leaning or drooping down due to lack of energy.

  • 丿 slanting slash
  • 丶 dot
  • 乁 base structure indicating fatigue
5. History
Liushu category: Pictogram (象形)

Origin: Originally depicted a person slumped over or leaning against something because they lacked strength.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical posture of drooping or leaning, it extended to meaning 'tired' and further to 'lacking' or 'being short of resources'.

  • It often appears in modern compound words like 缺乏 (quēfá - to lack) and 疲乏 (pífá - exhausted).
6. Sinosphere
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine someone shouting 'FA!' in frustration because they are completely **tired** and **short of** energy after working all day.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
乏
fátired, short ofBase character for fatigue and lack.
贬
biǎnto disparage, diminishUses 乏 as the phonetic component on the right, combined with the shell radical on the left.
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
友(yǒu)
友 means friend and has a horizontal stroke intersecting the bottom hook, whereas 乏 has a separate dot and slash at the top.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
他工作了一整天，觉得很___。
Clue: fá
Common Learner Pitfall

Mistaking 乏 for 友 due to the similar overall shape, leading to confusion between 'tired' and 'friend'.

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 乏, what are its primary meanings?
Production: How do you write the character for 'tired / short of' (fá) with 3 strokes?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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