俯 fǔ to bow down
to bow down; to face down; to look down
怎么记住“俯”: 亻 person + 府 prefect = to bow down. Each person in the front row stands up when the prefect enters the hall, and is expected to bow down.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
originally 府 + 勹
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
俯 = 亻 person + 府 prefect
- 亻 person shape only
- 府 prefect sound
Each person in the front row stands up when the prefect enters the hall, and is expected to bow down.
How it came to be
A person bending over gave the meaning and the right part the sound; the bent person later became the plain person sign.
用法
- To bend/look downward, the opposite of 仰 (yǎng, to look up): 俯视 (fǔshì) to look down on from above, 俯瞰 (fǔkàn) to overlook, 俯身 (fǔshēn) to bend down, 仰头看天 (yǎngtóu kàn tiān) look up at the sky.
- Written/literary register, common in describing views from a height.
- 俯首 (fǔshǒu) 'to bow the head' = to submit; 俯仰之间 in the blink of an eye.