坟 (fén) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

坟

fén[fen2]Tone 2

grave

HSK 7

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墳

Guru Deep Dive

English · grave

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:7

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (土) is narrow and slightly shorter, while the right component (贲) is wider and bears the main visual weight, ensuring the character stays well-balanced within an imaginary square.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 墳 uses 賁 on the right, which simplifies in the modern Chinese character set to 坟.

1. Meaning

grave, tomb, mound

embankmentancient book

NounNeutral#death#geography#literature

Sample Usage

祖坟
zǔ fén
ancestral grave
坟墓
fén mù
tomb, grave

2. Sound

/[fən³⁵]/Tone: 35

坟

fénfen2

´(35)

=fén

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

fen

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Labiodental Fricative

Sounds like: f as in 'fun'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth touch the inner lower lip lightly, blowing air continuously.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -en rhymes with 'un' in 'fun'

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

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 at a mid-level pitch and rises steeply to the top, exactly like a natural questioning inflection in English (e.g., 'What?').

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with the first tone (fēn) or fourth tone (fèn). Make sure the pitch starts medium and climbs cleanly upward.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Imagine nodding your head up while asking a question with a rising 'fun?' to mimic the rising pitch of Tone 2.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 7 strokes

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 墳 uses 賁 on the right, which simplifies in the modern Chinese character set to 坟.

4. Components

Radical 土 · Earth Radical (earth, ground, soil)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 土 (Indicates earth or ground, relating to graves and mounds of dirt.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 贲 (original sound: bēn / fén)

An earthen mound (土) piled up where someone is buried, marked by the phonetic component (贲).

土 earth or soil
贲 phonetic clue providing the 'fén' sound

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

13· Phonetic Root: 文 (wén)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally combined the sign for earth (土) with a phonetic sound element indicating a raised heap or pile of dirt.

Semantic Evolution: Over time, the meaning specialized from a general mound of earth or embankment into a grave or burial mound, and later also referred to ancient collected books (due to ancient texts being stored or piled like mounds).

In classical texts, '三坟' (Sanfen) refers to some of the most ancient legendary books of China.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

At the graveyard, mounds of EARTH (土) are piled high, and people bring FUN-eral (fén) flowers to pay their respects.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

文

wénculture, writing, languagePhonetic Core (声旁)

紊

wěndisorderly, confused, chaotic+ 糸 (silk)

纹

wénline, pattern, grain+ 纟 (silk)

蚊

wénold variant of 蚊[wen2]+ 虫 (insect)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

粉(fěn)

Uses rice (米) on the left instead of earth (土), meaning powder or noodles.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

清明节的时候，人们会去扫[___]。

Clue: fén

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the left radical 土 with 米 (rice) or confusing the tone with the first or fourth tone.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does the character 坟 mean and how is it pronounced with tones?

Production: How do you write the character for 'grave / tomb' (fén) combining earth and its phonetic part?

坟féngrave

Speed:

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