仆 meaning and stroke order
To fall forward; prostrate, prone; servant
How to write 仆, stroke by stroke
4 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Meaning of 仆
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fall forward
- to fall prostrate
- servant
How 仆 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Person.
亻 gives the meaning and 卜 hints at the sound.
Radical: 亻 (man), shared by 277 characters on this site.
How to remember 仆
仆 is a person 亻 next to 卜 (bǔ), which gives the sound. Picture a person bowing low beside a small marker, like a servant bending forward to serve.
As pú, 仆 means servant and appears mostly in fixed words like 仆人 (púrén) and 公仆 (gōngpú). As pū, it means to fall forward, as in the idiom 前仆后继 (qián pū hòu jì), where one falls and the next steps up. Example: 他家有一个女仆。(Tā jiā yǒu yí gè nǚpú.) His family has a maid.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 仆 with 扑 (pū, to pounce), which has the hand radical 扌 instead of the person radical 亻. Also remember the tone changes: pú for servant, pū for falling forward.
Common words with 仆
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
仆 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 仆
How many strokes are in 仆?
仆 is written with 4 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 仆 mean?
仆 (pú) means to fall forward; prostrate, prone; servant. A common word with it is 公仆 (gōngpú), meaning "public servant".
How do you pronounce 仆?
仆 is pronounced pú, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 仆?
The radical of 仆 is 亻, which carries the idea of "man". Dictionaries list 仆 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 仆?
The traditional form of 仆 is 僕. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 仆 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 仆 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 仆 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 仆人 still used in modern Chinese?
Yes, but it sounds old-fashioned or literary, and it often appears in stories or historical dramas. For a household helper today, people usually say 保姆 (bǎomǔ) or 阿姨 (āyí).
What does 公仆 mean in politics?
公仆 (gōngpú) means public servant. It is often used to describe officials who should serve the people, as in 人民的公仆 (rénmín de gōngpú), servant of the people.