肤

膚

fū

夫 + 月

Definitions

fū (noun) skin

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 夫 represents the sound. Simplified form of 膚.

Semantic: ⺼ Phonetic: 夫

About

肤 is a phonosemantic compound: the flesh radical 月 on the left indicates meaning, while 夫 (fū) on the right gives the sound. It is the simplified form of 膚. The traditional character 膚 combined the tiger radical 虍 with the stomach component 胃, together evoking the body's protective outer layer and its texture. The character means skin or the superficial surface of the body in humans and certain animals, and by extension describes shallowness or superficiality, likening such things to the thin, outermost boundary of an organism.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal etymology image

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical etymology image

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

她的皮肤很白皙。

tā de pí fū hěn bái xī。

Her skin is very fair.

我的皮肤需要每天保湿。

wǒ de pí fū xū yào měi tiān bǎo shī。

My skin needs moisturizing every day.

这种肥皂不伤害皮肤。

zhè zhǒng féi zào bù shāng hài pí fū。

This kind of soap does not harm the skin.

他的肤色被晒成了古铜色。

tā de fū sè bèi shài chéng le gǔ tóng sè。

His complexion has been tanned to a bronze color.

皮肤是人体最大的器官。

pí fū shì rén tǐ zuì dà de qì guān。

The skin is the body's largest organ。

这种肤浅的认识需要改变。

zhè zhǒng fū qiǎn de rèn shí xū yào gǎi biàn。

This superficial understanding needs to be changed。

胶原蛋白对皮肤健康很重要。

jiāo yuán dàn bái duì pí fū jiàn kāng hěn zhòng yào。

Collagen is very important for skin health。

该项目只触及了问题的肤表，未能深入核心。

gāi xiàng mù zhǐ chù jí le wèn tí de fū biǎo， wèi néng shēn rù hé xīn。

The project only touched the surface of the problem and failed to delve into the core.

Related Characters

Component: 夫

Component: 月

Example Words