() — (literary) a type of rhapsodic prose-poem (辞赋); (formal) tax, levy (赋税)

Definition

Classical noun: a rhapsodic prose-poem (one of the major genres of Chinese literature, alongside 诗). Also a formal word for a tax or levy, as in 赋税.

noun
(literary) a type of rhapsodic prose-poem (辞赋)(formal) taxlevy (赋税)
Measure word ·

Examples

  • Zhè piān fù xiě dé hěn hǎo.
    This prose-poem is very well written.
  • Gǔ dài nóng mín yào jiāo hěn duō fù shuì.
    Ancient farmers had to pay a lot of taxes.
  • Tā de fù hěn yǒu jià zhí.
    His prose-poem is very valuable.

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.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賦; 赋 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
bèishell; money
Sound part声符shēngfú
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

For 赋, the form 賦 has 貝 (shell; money) contributing to the meaning of collecting taxes, while 武 gives the sound.

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