复 (fù) — (bound morpheme) again, repeatedly (used in words like 复习, 重复, 恢复); (bound morpheme) compound, complex (used in 复杂, 复合); (bound morpheme) plural, multi- (used in 复数, 复姓)

Definition

复 is a bound morpheme, never used alone. It carries three core meanings: 'again/repeatedly' (复习, 重复), 'complex/composite' (复杂, 复合), and 'multiple/plural' (复数, 复姓) — the right meaning is determined by the word it joins.

bound form
(bound morpheme) againrepeatedly (used in words like 复习, 重复, 恢复)(bound morpheme) compoundcomplex (used in 复杂, 复合)(bound morpheme) pluralmulti- (used in 复数, 复姓)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 。
    Wǒ men xià ge xīng qī yào fù xí dì sān kè.
    We need to review lesson 3 next week.
  • ，。
    Zhè ge wèn tí hěn fù zá, xū yào zǐ xì fēn xī.
    This problem is very complex; it needs careful analysis.
  • 。
    Qǐng nǐ bú yào bǎ zhè jù huà chóng fù hǎo jǐ biàn.
    Please don't repeat this sentence several times.

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 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.

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.

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