氛 (fēn) — atmosphere; ambience (used as a bound form in c…

Definition

Bound form meaning 'atmosphere', almost always used in the compounds 气氛 or 氛围; on its own it does not stand alone as a word.

bound form

atmosphereambience (used as a bound form in compounds like 气氛, 氛围)

Easily confused

，。
Zhè jiā cān tīng de qì fēn hěn hǎo, ràng rén gǎn jué hěn shū fu.
The atmosphere in this restaurant is very good, it makes people feel very comfortable.
，。
Jié rì de fēn wéi fēi cháng rè nao, dà jiā dōu hěn kuài lè.
The festive atmosphere is very lively, and everyone is very happy.
。
Yán sù de qì fēn ràng suǒ yǒu rén dōu ān jìng le xià lái.
The serious atmosphere made everyone quiet down.

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.

气分氛

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

分

Same sound today

氛 combines 气 and 分: 气 gives the meaning, and 分 gives the sound fēn.