Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component (亻) slightly narrower and taller, and the right component (戈) wider and balanced, ensuring the horizontal spacing remains tight and unified.
1. Meaning
to cut down or fell trees
to launch a military expedition or attackto boast or brag about one's achievements
VerbFormal / Literary#action#forestry#military
Sample Usage
砍伐森林会对生态造成破坏。
kǎnfá sēnlín huì duì shēngtài zàoch chéng pòhuài.
Deforestation will cause damage to the ecosystem.
讨伐叛军
tǎofá pànjūn
to launch a punitive expedition against rebel forces
2. Sound
/[fa³⁵]/Tone: 35
伐
fáfa2
|
++
´(35)
=fá
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
fa
Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).
Initial Consonant
f
Type: Labiodental Fricative
Sounds like: f sound as in English 'fall'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth resting gently on the lower lip, continuously blowing air out.
Final Rhyme
a
Vowel Group: -a vowel group
Sounds like: ah sound as in English 'father'
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ah'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T2 (35)
3 → 5 (35)
2nd Tone (Mid-Rising)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 2 starts in the middle and rises up to the top, exactly like asking a surprised question in English such as 'What?' or 'Really?'
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the rising Tone 2 (fá) with the flat Tone 1 (fā) or falling Tone 4 (fà). Pay attention to the upward pitch direction.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A rising hand gesture moving upward from left to right, like climbing a flight of stairs.
3. Writing
Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 6 strokes
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left component (亻) slightly narrower and taller, and the right component (戈) wider and balanced, ensuring the horizontal spacing remains tight and unified.
4. Components
Radical亻 · Person Radical (human, person)
Semantic Clue (形旁):亻 (indicates human agency (a person doing the action))
Phonetic Clue (声旁):戈 (original sound: fá / gē)
A person (亻) holding a long halberd or weapon (戈) ready to strike down trees or enemies.
亻 person
戈 halberd or spear
Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
5· Phonetic Root: 伐 (fá)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)
Origin: Originally combined the image of a person (亻) and a weapon (戈) to represent striking, attacking, or chopping down an opponent or wood.
Semantic Evolution: Shifted from physical warfare and chopping down trees to general felling of trees, military punitive expeditions, and metaphorically 'boasting' (cutting off one's own horn/merits).
In classical texts, '伐' frequently appears in accounts of feudal states launching military campaigns against one another.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ハツ (Hatsu) / バツ (Batsu) / Kun: き.る (ki.ru)
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
벌
Sound Shift Bridge: The labial initial 'f' and open vowel rhyme 'a' align with ancient sound categories.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story
A lumberjack person (亻) swings a sharp halberd/axe (戈) to CUT DOWN (伐) the tall forest trees.