福 (fú) — good fortune; happiness; luck
Definition
福 (fú) is the traditional, cultural word for 'blessing, good fortune' — most often seen in set phrases like 祝你新年有福. 幸福 is a common everyday word for personal happiness; 运气 and 幸运 refer more to chance and luck.
noun
good fortunehappinessluck
Examples
- ，福。Chūn jié de shí hou, rén men xǐ huan zài mén shàng tiē fú zì.During the Spring Festival, people like to paste the character 'fu' on their doors.
- 福！Zhù nǐ xīn nián yǒu fú!Wishing you good fortune in the new year!
- 福。Dà jiā dōu xī wàng zì jǐ yǒu fú.Everyone hopes they have good fortune.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
畐
畐fú福fú
Same sound today
福 combines 示 and 畐, with 示 carrying the meaning and 畐 the sound.
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