() — (bound form) seat of government; government office; (bound form) official residence; mansion; (bound form, historical) prefecture (administrative district)

Definition

Bound morph meaning 'government office' or 'official residence' — only appears as part of compounds like 政府 (government), 府邸 (mansion), or 总统府 (presidential palace).

bound form
seat of governmentgovernment officeofficial residencemansion(bound form, historical) prefecture (administrative district)

Examples

  • Zhōng guó zhèng fǔ fù zé zhì dìng fǎ lǜ.
    The Chinese government is responsible for making laws.
  • Zhè zuò fǔ dǐ yǐ jīng yǒu sān bǎi nián de lì shǐ.
    This mansion already has three hundred years of history.
  • Tā yāo qǐng wǒ qù tā de fǔ shàng zuò kè.
    He invited me to his home as a guest.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
广广guǎngbuilding
Sound part声符shēngfú
Same sound today

府 shows a type of building with 广, while 付 gives the character its sound.

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