父亲 (fù qīn) — father

Definition

A formal noun for 'father.' 爸爸 is the everyday spoken word; 父亲 is used in writing or to sound more respectful. Often paired with 母亲 ('mother').

noun
father
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 父亲。
    Wǒ fù qīn jīn nián liù shí suì le.
    My father is sixty years old this year.
  • 父亲，。
    fù qīn Xǐ huan hē chá, bù xǐ huan hē kā fēi.
    Father likes to drink tea, not coffee.
  • 父亲？
    Nǐ fù qīn shì zuò shén me gōng zuò de?
    What does your father do for work?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

父fùparent
亲qīnparent

父亲 uses 父 and 亲, both meaning parents, to refer to one's father.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 父 shows a hand holding a stone blade, referring to a man working with a stone axe.

Open 父 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 親; 亲 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
見見jiànsee
Sound part声符shēngfú
辛
辛xīn親qīn
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 親 uses 見 (see) for sense and 辛 (a chisel) for sound; the simplified 亲 is a shorthand and its parts are not the historical components.

Open 亲 →
Appears in
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