回复 (huí fù) — to reply, to answer; to recover, to return to a… | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

回复 covers both senses: 'reply' (messages, emails) and 'recover/return to a previous state'. For replying, 回答 is more for direct answers; 回信 is specifically by letter.

verb

to replyto answerto recoverto return to a previous state

Examples

回复。
Qǐng jǐn kuài huí fù wǒ de wèn tí.
Please reply to my question as soon as possible.
，回复。
Tā xiū xi le jǐ tiān, zhōng yú huí fù le tǐ lì.
After resting for a few days, he finally recovered his strength.
回复。
huí fù Yóu jiàn shí jì de jiā shàng zhǔ tí.
When replying to an email, remember to add a subject.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

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

复fùanswer

回 means reply and 复 means answer; together they suggest responding or returning to an earlier state.

Characters in this word

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

回 comes from a drawing of a spiral, showing something turning around.

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 復; 复 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 复 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (复习, 恢复) it is 復; in others (复印, 复杂) (答复, 反复) it is 複 or 覆.

彳复復

Meaning part形符xíngfú

彳彳chìwalk

Sound part声符shēngfú

复

复fù復fù

Same sound today

The traditional form 復 combines 彳, a walking part, with 复, a sound part, to show walking back and forth.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 4 Communication & Speech 5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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