分 (fèn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

分

fèn[fen4]Tone 4

part, share, component

HSK 1

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · part, share, component

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:4

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (八) should spread wide like a roof, while the bottom component (刀) anchors the center, ensuring vertical symmetry.

1. Meaning

part, share, or portion

ingredientcomponentduty or lot in life

Noun / ClassifierNeutral#quantity#structure#abstract concepts

Sample Usage

这是你的一份。
Zhè shì nǐ de yī fèn.
This is your share.
我们要懂得感恩。
Wǒmen yào dǒngde gǎn'ēn.
We must know how to feel grateful. (Using related compound)

2. Sound

/[fən⁵¹]/Tone: 51

分

fènfen4

`(51)

=fèn

Initial Consonant

Type: Labiodental Fricative

Sounds like: f sound as in 'fun'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth touch lower lip gently while blowing air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -en rhymes with 'en' in 'enamel'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uhn'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and drops sharply to the bottom, exactly like shouting 'No!' or giving a firm command.

Sandhi: When followed by another fourth tone, it changes to a rising tone (second tone), though as a noun it often remains stable.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the neutral tone variant (fèn vs. fen) in compound words where it loses its stress.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, decisive chop downward like swinging an axe to split wood, representing the falling pitch of Tone 4.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 4 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The top component (八) should spread wide like a roof, while the bottom component (刀) anchors the center, ensuring vertical symmetry.

4. Components

Radical 刀 · Knife Radical (knife, cutting edge)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 刀 (indicates the action of cutting or dividing)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 八 (original sound: bā/fèn phonetic influence via historical evolution)

A knife (刀) cutting something into eight (八) equal pieces, which creates separate parts or shares.

八 split apart / number eight
刀 knife / cutting tool

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

19· Phonetic Root: 分 (fèn)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally derived from a knife (刀) cutting an object into separate fragments, combining the idea of dividing with a phonetic element.

Semantic Evolution: From the physical act of cutting something apart to abstract divisions like shares, portions, and duties assigned to individuals.

The character bridges physical slicing and social allotment (such as one's duty or share in society).

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine taking a sharp knife (刀) and slicing a pie into eight (八) distinct parts so everyone gets their fair share.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

粉

fěnpowder, flour, pinkAdd the rice radical (米) on the left to make flour or powder from divided grains.

份

fènportion, copyAdd the person radical (亻) on the left to denote a portion meant for a person.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

分(fēn)

Same character written identically, but pronounced with Tone 1 (fēn) for minute/divide, or Tone 4 (fèn) for share/portion.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

这是给你的一[___]礼物。

Clue: fèn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the first tone (fēn - to divide, minute) with the fourth tone (fèn - part, share, duty).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 分 (fèn) mean when used as a noun suffix for shares or portions?

Production: How do you write the character meaning 'part' or 'share' with 4 strokes, combining 'eight' and 'knife'?

分fènpart, share, component

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