沸 (fèi) — to boil

Definition

沸 (fèi) means 'to boil' and is used in formal or literary writing, almost always paired with 腾 as 沸腾 ('boiling') or following 烧 as 烧沸. The everyday spoken word for boiling water is 烧开 or 煮.

verb
to boil
Easily confused

Examples

  • 沸，。
    Shuǐ shāo fèi le, kě yǐ pào chá le.
    The water has boiled; we can make tea now.
  • 。
    Guō lǐ zhǔ de tāng zhèng zài fèi téng.
    The soup in the pot is boiling.
  • 沸。
    Shuǐ shāo fèi hòu fàng miàn tiáo.
    Put the noodles in after the water comes to a boil.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú沸fèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

沸 pairs 氵, the water part, with 弗, which gives it its sound.

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