HanziGuru.绯 · fēi
绯
fēi[fei1]Tone 1

dark red

HSK 7
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Guru Deep Dive

English · dark red

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:14
Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (纟) compact and slightly higher, while the right phonetic component (非) is wider and spans slightly lower to achieve perfect visual weight distribution.
Simplification Logic: The left side (纟) is the simplified form of 絲 (silk), compressing multiple loops into a streamlined thread radical.
1. Meaning

dark red

purple silkscarlet official robes in ancient China
Adjective / NounLiteraryBound morpheme#colors#textiles#history
Sample Usage
  • 绯闻
    fēiwén
    romantic gossip / scandal
  • 绯红
    fēihóng
    bright red / crimson
2. Sound
/[feɪ̯⁵⁵]/Tone: 55
绯
fēifei1
++
¯(55)
=fēi
Build the syllable
Step-by-step blending
fei
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
f
Type: Labiodental Fricative
Sounds like: f sound like in English 'foo'
Unaspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Continuous smooth friction.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Upper teeth touch the lower lip.
Final Rhyme
ei
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: -ei rhymes with 'ay' in day
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ay'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T1 (55)
1st Tone (High-Flat)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is pitched steadily at the top of your speaking voice, exactly like singing a single sustained high note in a choir.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing it with the 2nd tone féi (fat/fertilizer), which starts lower and rises sharply.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: A high, flat musical note sustained at the top of your vocal range, accompanied by a flat horizontal hand gesture in the air.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 14 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (纟) compact and slightly higher, while the right phonetic component (非) is wider and spans slightly lower to achieve perfect visual weight distribution.

Simplification Logic: The left side (纟) is the simplified form of 絲 (silk), compressing multiple loops into a streamlined thread radical.

4. Components

Radical 纟 · Silk Radical (Silk, threads, textiles)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 纟 (Indicates that the word relates to silk or fabric)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 非 (original sound: fēi)

A thread of silk (纟) is dyed with a special pigment that turns it a striking dark red or scarlet (非).

  • 纟 silk thread
  • 非 non / wrong (providing the pronunciation fēi)
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the silk radical (纟) representing fabric and 非 (fēi) supplying the sound. Originally referred specifically to dark red or purple-red silk fabrics used for high-ranking official garments in ancient imperial dynasties.

Semantic Evolution: Over time, the meaning expanded from specifically dyed silk to describe the dark red or crimson color itself, and later found modern usage in compound words like 'scandal' (绯闻 - red/gossip news).

  • In the Tang and Song dynasties, high-ranking officials wore red or purple robes (绯衣).
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: ヒ
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
비
Sound Shift Bridge: The initial 'f' in Mandarin often corresponds to 'h' or 'p' in other language borrowings, but here the phonetic core preserves a direct syllable rhyme.
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine holding a roll of silky thread (纟) that has been dipped in magical dark red ink, glowing brightly as you say 'fēi!' like a flying superhero wearing a scarlet cape.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
非
fēinot; wrong; non-; AfricaPhonetic Core (声旁)
排
páia row, to arrange, platoon+ 扌 (hand)
啡
fēicoffee+ 口 (mouth)
悲
bēisad+ 心 (heart)
Explore this family →
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
绯(fēi)
Do not confuse with 飞 (fēi - to fly), which is a pictograph of wings rather than silk.
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
这部电视剧最近有很多关于演员的[___]闻。
Clue: fēi
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the tone with 2nd tone féi, or mixing up the left silk radical with the cloth radical (巾).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: What color and material does the character 绯 refer to?
Production: How do you write the character for dark red/scarlet silk starting with the silk radical?
Real-World Video Context

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

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