Meaning of 副
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- secondary
- auxiliary
- deputy
- assistant
- vice-
- abbr. for 副詞|副词 adverb
- classifier for pairs, sets of things & facial expressions
How to use 副
副 often goes before a title or noun to mean vice- or secondary, as in 副总裁 (fùzǒngcái) vice president or 副作用 (fùzuòyòng) side effect. It is also a classifier for pairs, sets, and facial expressions. Example: 他戴了一副眼镜。(Tā dài le yí fù yǎnjìng.) He put on a pair of glasses.
副 is built from 畐 (fú) on the left, which gives the sound, and the knife radical 刂 on the right. Picture a knife splitting something into a main part and a second part, and the second part is the 副 (fù), the deputy or secondary one.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 副 (fù) with 福 (fú, good fortune) or 幅 (fú, classifier for paintings) because all three share 畐. Remember that 副 has the knife 刂 and a fourth tone, while 幅 has the cloth radical 巾 and is used for pictures, not glasses.
副 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
副 fù · secondary · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
Related words
Words that share a character with 副.
| 副作用 | fùzuòyòng | side effect |
| 名副其实 | míngfùqíshí | not just in name only, but also in reality (idiom); aptly named |
| 副本 | fùběn | copy; duplicate; transcript; (gaming) dungeon; instance; private team mission |
| 副手 | fùshǒu | assistant |
| 全副武装 | quánfùwǔzhuāng | fully armed; armed to the teeth |
| 副总裁 | fùzǒngcái | vice-chairman (of an organization); vice president (of a company) |
| 副官 | fùguān | aide-de-camp |
| 副驾驶 | fùjiàshǐ | copilot; co-driver (abbr. for 副駕駛員|副驾驶员[fu4 jia4 shi3 yuan2]); front passenger seat (abbr. |
Questions about 副
What does 副 mean?
副 (fù) means "secondary; auxiliary" and is used as a adjective and measure word.
How do you write 副?
副 is made of 1 character: 副 (11 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 副 an HSK word?
Yes. 副 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 一副 mean when describing someone's face?
副 can count facial expressions or looks, often with a slightly negative tone. For example, 一副无所谓的样子 (yí fù wúsuǒwèi de yàngzi) means a couldn't-care-less look.
How is 副 different from 对 and 双 for pairs?
双 (shuāng) is used for things that come in matching pairs like shoes and chopsticks, and 对 (duì) for couples or pairs of people and items. 副 is used for a set that works as one unit, like 一副眼镜 (glasses), 一副手套 (gloves), or 一副扑克牌 (a deck of cards).