粪 (fèn) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

粪

fèn[fen4]Tone 4

manure

HSK 7

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糞

Guru Deep Dive

English · manure

Cached lesson

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Topology:Top-bottom

Strokes:15

Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (米 and 共 combined/simplified) must be balanced evenly over the lower part (田), keeping the center of gravity stable.

Simplification Logic: The traditional form 糞 contains components like 米, 廿, 共, and 田. Modern simplification streamlines the top structure while retaining the field and rice-related agricultural elements.

1. Meaning

manure, dung, nightsoil

to sweep away (literary)dirt, rubbish

NounNeutral#agriculture#waste#nature

Sample Usage

农民用粪来施肥。
nóngmín yòng fèn lái shīféi.
Farmers use manure to fertilize the fields.
马粪
mǎfèn
horse manure

2. Sound

/[fən⁵¹]/Tone: 51

粪

fènfen4

`(51)

=fèn

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 sound in English

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth resting lightly on the lower lip, blowing air gently without vocal cord vibration until the vowel starts.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: -en rhymes with en in 'open' or un- in 'under'

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 abruptly to the bottom, similar to saying 'No!' in English when declining something firmly.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse with the first tone or rising tone; make sure the pitch drops cleanly and sharply like an exclamation of annoyance.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, forceful downward karate chop, matching the abrupt drop of Tone 4 from high to low.

3. Writing

Topology: Top-bottom · Strokes: 15 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The upper part (米 and 共 combined/simplified) must be balanced evenly over the lower part (田), keeping the center of gravity stable.

4. Components

Radical 米 · Rice Radical (rice, grain)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 田 (Represents the agricultural field where manure is applied.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 共 (original sound: gong/fen phonetic element)

In the fields (田), grain/rice (米) is grown, and what comes from digesting grains goes back to the fields as manure (糞).

米 rice/grain
共 common/contributing element
田 field

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

14· Phonetic Root: 共 (gòng)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally constructed to depict the gathering of agricultural waste and crop refuse from the fields to be used as natural fertilizer.

Semantic Evolution: Shifted from the physical act of gathering agricultural waste to specifically mean manure, dung, and fertilizer.

Traditional agriculture in China relied heavily on organic compost and nightsoil, making this character very common in farming literature.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: フン / Kun: くそ

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

In the farming **field (田)**, the harvested **rice (米)** provides **common (共)** nourishment that eventually turns back into rich **manure (糞)** to help new crops grow.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

共

gòngcommon, together, to sharePhonetic Core (声旁)

哄

hònguproar+ 口 (mouth)

恭

gōngrespectful+ ⺗ (heart)

拱

gǒngto cup hands, to arch+ 扌 (hand)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

奋(fèn)

奋 (fèn, as in 兴奋) replaces the field/rice components with a bird/wing shape on top, meaning to strive or exert effort.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

农夫把___运到地里去施肥。

Clue: fèn

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the upper structure with similar looking characters like 奋 (fèn - strive) or mistaking the tone for a rising tone (fén).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: When you see 糞/粪, what English meaning and tone come to mind?

Production: How do you write the character for 'manure' (fèn) with 15 strokes?

粪fènmanure

Speed:

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