Definitions

(verb) to instruct; to tell

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

咐 is a phono-semantic compound with the mouth radical 口 on the left, indicating its connection to spoken communication. The right component, 付, meaning "to hand over" or "to entrust", provides the phonetic element. This character is seldom used alone and appears almost exclusively in the compound 吩咐, meaning to instruct or give a verbal command. The structure combines the idea of speaking with the concept of entrusting, capturing the act of verbally assigning a task or transferring responsibility to another person.

Example Sentences Hide

老师吩我们安静。

Lǎoshī fēnfu wǒmen ānjìng.

The teacher told us to be quiet.

他仔细吩了每个步骤。

Tā zǐxì fēnfu le měi gè bùzhòu.

He carefully instructed each step.

经理吩员工完成报告。

Jīnglǐ fēnfu yuángōng wánchéng bàogào.

The manager instructed the employees to complete the report.

妈妈吩我买牛奶和面包。

Māma fēnfu wǒ mǎi niúnǎi hé miànbāo.

Mom told me to buy milk and bread.

在离开之前,他吩了几件事。

Zài líkāi zhīqián, tā fēnfu le jǐ jiàn shì.

Before leaving, he instructed several matters.

总统吩助手准备重要文件。

Zǒngtǒng fēnfu zhùshǒu zhǔnbèi zhòngyào wénjiàn.

The president instructed his assistant to prepare important documents.

根据老板的吩,我们改变了计划。

Gēnjù lǎobǎn de fēnfu, wǒmen gǎibiàn le jìhuà.

According to the boss's instructions, we changed the plan.

尽管时间紧迫,他仍详细吩了所有细节。

Jǐnguǎn shíjiān jǐnpò, tā réng xiángxì fēnfu le suǒyǒu xìjié.

Despite the time pressure, he still instructed all the details in detail.