伏 (fú): to lean over, to fall (go down), to hide (in ambush)
伏 (fú) is a Chinese character meaning “to lean over.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 亻 (structural) and 犬 (structural). It ranks #1381 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 伏 a person 亻 acting like a dog 犬. Its radical form 亻 (person) appears in many related characters such as 人 (rén, person), 什 (shén, what), 今 (jīn, now).
Definitions
- to lean over
- to fall (go down)
- to hide (in ambush)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA person 亻 acting like a dog 犬
Decomposition: ⿰亻犬 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 伏 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 伏特measure | fú tè | (loanword) volt |
| 埋伏verb | mái fú | to ambush |
| 伏击verb | fú jī | ambush |
| 起伏verb | qǐ fú | to move up and down |
| 潜伏verb | qián fú | to hide |
| 危机四伏phrase | wēi jī sì fú | danger lurks on every side (idiom) |
| 伏法verb | fú fǎ | to be executed |
| 制伏 | zhì fú | to overpower |
| 伏尔泰proper-noun | fú ěr tài | Voltaire (1694–1778), French Enlightenment writer and philosopher |
| 潜伏期noun | qián fú qī | incubation period (of disease) |
| 伏兵noun | fú bīng | hidden troops |
| 蛰伏verb | zhé fú | hibernation |
| 此起彼伏phrase | cǐ qǐ bǐ fú | up here, down there (idiom) |
| 千伏 | qiān fú | kilovolt |
| 降伏verb | xiáng fú | to subdue |
伏 appears in 89 compound words: 40 as the first character, 47 as the last, and 12 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 伏 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (10)
synonym of 此起彼落 (cǐqǐbǐluò, “(of sounds) rising and falling; continuous; unceasing”)
Volga (a river in Russia, the longest river in Europe, flowing 2,325 miles through western Russia to the Caspian Sea)
synonym of 此起彼落 (cǐqǐbǐluò, “(of sounds) rising and falling; continuous; unceasing”)
Volga (a river in Russia, the longest river in Europe, flowing 2,325 miles through western Russia to the Caspian Sea)
Example Sentences
作为伏民，我们有责任保护环境。
zuò wéi fú mín , wǒ men yǒu zé rèn bǎo hù huán jìng .
As citizens of Fumin, we have a responsibility to protect the environment.
...,消息称特斯拉拟采购 29 亿美元中国光伏设备
. . . , xiāo xī chèn tè sī lā nǐ cǎi gòu 2 9 yì měi yuán zhōng guó guāng fú shè bèi
... According to reports, Tesla plans to purchase $2.9 billion worth of Chinese solar equipment
小S复工情绪起伏大!下班突崩溃靠助理搀扶 急奔黑人范范家...
xiǎo S fù gōng qíng xù qǐ fú dà ! xià bān tū bēng kuì kào zhù lǐ chān fú jí bēn hēi rén fàn fàn jiā . . .
Xiao S is having a rollercoaster of emotions as she returns to work! She suddenly broke down after work and had to be supported by her assistant as she rushed to Blackie and Fanfan's home...
光伏赋能民生教育—中企助力老挝中学焕新重启
guāng fú fù néng mín shēng jiào yù — zhōng qǐ zhù lì lǎo 挝 zhōng xué huàn xīn chóng qǐ
Solar Power Boosts Education and Livelihoods—Chinese Companies Help Laotian High School Reopen with a Fresh Start
...!见警瞎问“这警车谁的” 下秒遭大外割制伏
. . . ! jiàn jǐng xiā wèn zhè jǐng chē shéi de xià miǎo zāo dà wài gē zhì fú
...! Seeing the police, he asked "whose police car is this" and was subdued by the big foreign cut in the next second
埋伏3小时!医美诊所负责人枪击案 枪手超商叫...
mái fú 3 xiǎo shí ! yī měi zhěn suǒ fù zé rén qiāng jī àn qiāng shǒu chāo shāng jiào . . .
Ambush for 3 hours! The shooting case of the person in charge of the medical beauty clinic The gunman called the supermarket...
生活中有高低起伏。
Shēnghuó zhōng yǒu gāodī qǐfú.
In life there are ups and downs.
人生充满了高低起伏。
Rénshēng chōngmǎn le gāodī qǐfú.
Life is full of ups and downs.
你只好隐伏几个星期。
Nǐ zhǐhǎo yǐnfú jǐ gè xīngqī.
You'd better lie low for a few weeks.
近来进入三伏天了。
Jìnlái jìnrù sān fú tiān le.
Lately, we've entered the dog days of summer.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 伏 (fú) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 伏 and 起?
How many strokes does 伏 have?
What is the radical of 伏?
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What characters sound the same as 伏 (fú)?
Is 伏 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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