返 (fǎn): to return (to)
返 (fǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to return (to).” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 辶 (structural) and 反 (structural). It ranks #1421 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 返 to walk 辶 backwards 反; 反 also provides the pronunciation. Its radical form 辶 (walk) appears in many related characters such as 边 (biān, side), 过 (guò, to pass, past), 还 (hái, still, return).
Definitions
- to return (to)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicTo walk 辶 backwards 反; 反 also provides the pronunciation
Decomposition: ⿺辶反 (layout: surround-from-lower-left)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 返 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 返
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 重返verb | chóng fǎn | to return to |
| 返校verb | fǎn xiào | to return to school |
| 返航verb | fǎn háng | to return to the point of departure |
| 一去不复返phrase | yī qù bù fù fǎn | gone forever |
| 遣返verb | qiǎn fǎn | to repatriate (e.g. prisoners of war) |
| 返程noun | fǎn chéng | return trip |
| 返还verb | fǎn huán | restitution |
| 折返verb | zhé fǎn | to turn back |
| 返乡verb | fǎn xiāng | to return to one's home town |
| 返家 | fǎn jiā | to return home |
| 迷途知返phrase | mí tú zhī fǎn | to get back on the right path |
| 返祖现象noun | fǎn zǔ xiàn xiàng | (biology) atavism |
| 返工verb | fǎn gōng | to do poorly done work over again |
| 流连忘返phrase | liú lián wàng fǎn | to linger |
| 返璞归真phrase | fǎn pú guī zhēn | to return to one's true self |
返 appears in 44 compound words: 59 as the first character, 34 as the last, and 7 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 返 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
to recover one's youthful vigour; to become young again; to become rejuvenated in one's old age
established bad habits or practices are difficult to change or get rid of
to remain enjoying oneself and forget to go home; to be unable to tear oneself away; to linger
to become aware of one's errors and turn back from one's wrong path; to realize one's mistakes and correct oneself
to return without any achievement; to go home with one's tail between one's legs
to recover one's youthful vigour; to become young again; to become rejuvenated in one's old age
established bad habits or practices are difficult to change or get rid of
to remain enjoying oneself and forget to go home; to be unable to tear oneself away; to linger
to become aware of one's errors and turn back from one's wrong path; to realize one's mistakes and correct oneself
Showing 7 of 8 idioms containing 返.
Example Sentences
这个返字的意思与它的部首有关。
zhè gě fǎn zì de yì sī yú tā de bù shǒu yǒu guān .
The meaning of the character "返" is related to its radical.
惠理:金价跌返4900水平可吸
huì lǐ : jīn jià diē fǎn 4 9 0 0 shuǐ píng kě xī
Value Partners: The price of gold can be absorbed when it falls back to the 4900 level
川普:加征15%关税立即生效 全球贸易重返不确定性时代
chuān pǔ : jiā zhēng 1 5 guān shuì lì jí shēng xiào quán qiú mào yì chóng fǎn bù què dìng xìng shí dài
Trump: The 15% tariff will take effect immediately Global trade returns to an era of uncertainty
39小时千里护航 南宁铁警守护返岗务工专列
3 9 xiǎo shí qiān lǐ hù háng nán nìng tiě jǐng shǒu hù fǎn gǎng wù gōng zhuān liè
39 hours of thousands of miles escort Nanning Railway Police guard the special train for returning migrant workers
新年|高铁西九龙站现返港潮 市民指内地物价便宜故留到最后一日
xīn nián gāo tiě xī jiǔ lóng zhàn xiàn fǎn gǎng cháo shì mín zhǐ nèi dì wù jià biàn yí gù liú dào zuì hòu yī rì
New Year|High Speed Rail West Kowloon Station is now returning to Hong Kong Citizens say that prices in the mainland are cheap, so they are left until the last day
北京海淀:春晚同款机器人返场,硬核科技“打开”庙会
běi jīng hǎi diàn : chūn wǎn tóng kuǎn jī qì rén fǎn chǎng , yìng hé kē jì dǎ kāi miào huì
Beijing Haidian: The same robot returns to the Spring Festival Gala, and hard-core technology "opens" the temple fair
你买了往返的票吗？
Nǐ mǎi le wǎngfǎn de piào ma?
Did you buy a round-trip ticket?
迷路的渔船安全地返回了港口。
Mílù de yúchuán ānquán de fǎnhuí le gǎngkǒu.
The lost fishing boat made a safe return to harbour.
往返各地的收费如下。
Wǎngfǎn gèdì de shōufèi rúxià.
Round-trip fares to each destination are as follows.
汤姆星期一来的，第二天返回了。
Tāngmǔ Xīngqīyī lái de, dì èr tiān fǎnhuí le.
Tom came on Monday and went back the day after.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 返 (fǎn) mean in Chinese?
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What are the components of 返?
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What characters sound the same as 返 (fǎn)?
Is 返 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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