Meaning of 封
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to confer
- to grant
- to bestow a title
- to seal
- classifier for sealed objects, esp. letters
- surname Feng
How to use 封
In daily life 封 is most often a classifier for letters and emails, and a verb meaning to seal or close off. Example: 我给她写了一封信。(Wǒ gěi tā xiěle yì fēng xìn.) I wrote her a letter.
封 has two stacked 土 (tǔ, earth) on the left and 寸 (cùn, hand) on the right. Picture a hand pressing earth down to seal something shut, like sealing a letter or marking off land granted to a lord.
Common mistake: Learners often use 个 (gè) or 张 (zhāng) for letters, but the natural classifier is 封, as in 一封邮件 (yì fēng yóujiàn), one email. Also do not confuse the left side with 圭 written as 土 plus 士; both parts of 圭 are 土.
封 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.
封 fēng · to confer · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 封.
| 信封 | xìnfēng | envelope |
| 封闭 | fēngbì | to close; to seal off; to close down (an illegal venue) |
| 封锁 | fēngsuǒ | to blockade; to seal off |
| 封面 | fēngmiàn | cover (of a publication) |
| 密封 | mìfēng | to seal up |
| 封建 | fēngjiàn | system of enfeoffment; feudalism |
| 封顶 | fēngdǐng | to put a roof (on a building); to cap the roof (finishing a building project) |
| 封印 | fēngyìn | seal (on envelopes) |
| 冰封 | bīngfēng | to freeze over; to ice over |
| 封存 | fēngcún | to sequester; to seal up (for safe keeping) |
| 查封 | cháfēng | to sequester; to seize (assets) |
| 封口 | fēngkǒu | to keep one's lips sealed; (of a wound) to heal |
Questions about 封
What does 封 mean?
封 (fēng) means "to confer; to grant" and is used as a measure word and verb.
How do you write 封?
封 is made of 1 character: 封 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 封 an HSK word?
Yes. 封 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 封 and 封闭 when talking about closing something?
封 alone is short and often takes an object directly, as in 封路 (fēng lù), to close a road. 封闭 (fēngbì) is a two-syllable word that describes a sealed or closed-off state, and it can also mean closed-minded, as in 思想封闭 (sīxiǎng fēngbì).
Why does 封 appear in the word for feudalism?
One sense of 封 is to confer or grant, such as land or a title. 封建 (fēngjiàn) originally meant granting territory to nobles, and it is now used for feudalism or for describing very old-fashioned ideas.