繁 fán complex
complex; difficult
怎么记住“繁”: 敏 fast + 糸 silk = complex. Grandma knits fast, but when the kitten tangles every ball of silk in the basket, the pattern suddenly becomes complex.
部件结构
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
繁 = 敏 fast + 糸 silk
- 敏 fast sound
- 糸 silk meaning
Grandma knits fast, but when the kitten tangles every ball of silk in the basket, the pattern suddenly becomes complex.
How it came to be
Silk gives the meaning and the top part the sound.
用法
- Bound morpheme meaning "complex, numerous": written/formal register overall.
- 繁忙 (fánmáng) "busy" is a more formal synonym of 忙, typically describing a busy season, schedule, or thoroughfare rather than a person's mood.
- 繁荣 (fánróng) "prosperous, flourishing" is standard for describing a thriving economy or city; 频繁 (pínfán) "frequent" describes how often something happens (联系频繁 "contact frequently").
- 繁体字 (fántǐzì) "traditional (unsimplified) Chinese characters": a very useful compound for learners, contrasted with 简体字 (jiǎntǐzì) "simplified characters".