扉 (fēi) — (bound form) door leaf, door (literary or in compounds); (bound form) title page (in 扉页)

Definition

扉 (fēi) is a literary bound form meaning 'door leaf', used almost entirely in set phrases like 心扉 ('heart, inner feelings') and 扉页 ('title page'). It is not a standalone word — learners will meet it only inside compounds.

bound form
door leafdoor (literary or in compounds)title page (in 扉页)

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè běn shū de fēi yè shè jì dé hěn jīng měi.
    The title page of this book is beautifully designed.
  • ,。
    Tā chǎng kāi xīn fēi, xiàng péng you qīng sù le fán nǎo.
    He opened his heart and poured out his worries to his friend.
  • 扉。
    Gǔ jiù de chái fēi zài fēng zhōng zhī yā zuò xiǎng.
    The old wicker gate creaked in the wind.

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
戶戶hù
Sound part声符shēngfú
非
非fēi扉fēi
Same sound today

扉 pairs 戶, which relates to doors, with 非, which gives the sound.

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