伐 (fá): to cut down, to fell, to dispatch an expedition against
伐 (fá) is a Chinese character meaning “to cut down.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 亻 (structural) and 戈 (structural). It ranks #1793 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 伐 a person 亻 attacked 戈. Its radical form 亻 (person) appears in many related characters such as 人 (rén, person), 什 (shén, what), 今 (jīn, now).
Definitions
- to cut down
- to fell
- to dispatch an expedition against
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA person 亻 attacked 戈
Decomposition: ⿰亻戈 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 伐 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 步伐 | bù fá | pace |
| 伐木 | fá mù | to cut wood |
| 巴伐利亚 | bā fá lì yà | Bavaria |
| 斯洛伐克 | sī luò fá kè | Slovakia (officially the Slovak Republic since 1993) |
| 讨伐 | tǎo fá | to suppress by armed force |
| 捷克斯洛伐克 | jié kè sī luò fá kè | Republic of Czechoslovakia (1918-1992) |
| 砍伐 | kǎn fá | to hew |
| 口诛笔伐 | kǒu zhū bǐ fá | to condemn in speech and in writing (idiom) |
| 采伐 | cǎi fá | to fell |
| 滥伐 | làn fá | to denude |
| 伐木工人 | fá mù gōng rén | lumberjack |
| 党同伐异 | dǎng tóng fá yì | to be narrowly partisan |
| 北伐军 | běi fá jūn | the Northern Expeditionary Army |
| 南征北伐 | nán zhēng běi fá | war on all sides (idiom) |
| 伐木场 | fá mù chǎng | a logging area |
伐 appears in 30 compound words: 13 as the first character, 50 as the last, and 37 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 伐 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax; fig. to follow a principle; fig. to act as matchmaker
(cf Book of Songs) How to fashion an ax handle? You need an ax; fig. to follow a principle; fig. to act as matchmaker
Showing 8 of 9 idioms containing 伐.
Example Sentences
作为伐民，我们有责任保护环境。
zuò wéi fá mín , wǒ men yǒu zé rèn bǎo hù huán jìng .
As loggers, we have a responsibility to protect the environment.
...评估陆无意2027年攻台 陆委会:国防步伐不变
. . . píng gū lù wú yì 2 0 2 7 nián gōng tái lù wěi huì : guó fáng bù fá bù biàn
...Regarding Speculation That China May Invade Taiwan in 2027, the Mainland Affairs Council Says: Defense Plans Remain Unchanged
遏止外国车“加油观光”抢便宜 斯洛伐克祭出差别油价
è zhǐ wài guó chē jiā yóu guàn guāng qiǎng biàn yí sī 洛 fá kè jì chū chā bié yóu jià
To curb foreign drivers stopping to fill up and sightsee in search of cheaper fuel, Slovakia has introduced differential fuel prices
葡萄牙房地产发展势头不减,但步伐有所改变
pú táo yá fáng dì chǎn fā zhǎn shì tóu bù jiǎn , dàn bù fá yǒu suǒ gǎi biàn
Portuguese real estate is gaining momentum, but the pace has changed
预见金马|财信证券刘宛晨:长期资金入市步伐稳健,有..
yù jiàn jīn mǎ cái xìn zhèng quàn liú 宛 chén : cháng qī zī jīn rù shì bù fá wěn jiàn , yǒu . .
Foresight Golden Horse|Caixin Securities Liu Wanchen: The pace of long-term funds entering the market is steady, there are:
斯洛伐克政府宣布进入国家石油紧急状态
sī 洛 fá kè zhèng fǔ xuān bù jìn rù guó jiā shí yóu jǐn jí zhuàng tài
The Slovak government has declared a national oil emergency
他迈着稳健的步伐登上了山丘。
Tā mài zhe wěnjiàn de bùfá dēngshàng le shānqiū.
He was walking up the hill at a steady pace.
汤姆在后院砍伐了一棵树。
Tāngmǔ zàihòu yuàn kǎnfá le yī kē shù.
Tom cut down a tree in his yard.
匈牙利和斯洛伐克是邻国。
Xiōngyálì hé Sīluòfákè shì línguó.
Hungary and Slovakia are neighbors.
在加拿大有很多区域砍伐树木是非法的。
Zài Jiānádà yǒu hěn duō qūyù kǎnfá shùmù shì fēifǎ de.
In Canada, there are many areas where it is illegal to log trees.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 伐 (fá)?
Is 伐 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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