副 (fù): secondary, auxiliary, deputy
副 (fù) is a Chinese character meaning “secondary.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 畐 (phonetic) and 刂 (semantic). It ranks #764 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 副 knife. Its radical form 刂 (knife) appears in many related characters such as 分 (fēn, to divide), 别 (bié, to leave), 到 (dào, to reach).
Definitions
- secondary
- auxiliary
- deputy
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 副 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 副作用 | fù zuò yòng | side effect |
| 副本 | fù běn | copy |
| 全副 | quán fù | completely |
| 副手 | fù shǒu | assistant |
| 名副其实 | míng fù qí shí | not just in name only, but also in reality (idiom) |
| 副官 | fù guān | aide-de-camp |
| 副业 | fù yè | sideline |
| 副产品 | fù chǎn pǐn | by-product |
| 副翼 | fù yì | aileron (aeronautics) |
| 大副 | dà fù | first mate |
| 名不副实 | míng bù fù shí | the name does not reflect the reality (idiom) |
| 副食品 | fù shí pǐn | non-staple foods |
| 副标题 | fù biāo tí | subtitle (of a book etc) |
| 副词 | fù cí | adverb |
| 副教授 | fù jiào shòu | associate professor (university post) |
副 appears in 65 compound words: 83 as the first character, 6 as the last, and 11 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 副 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (3)
Showing 2 of 3 idioms containing 副.
Example Sentences
老师教我们副字的发音和笔顺。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men fù zì de fā yīn hé bǐ shùn .
The teacher taught us the pronunciation and stroke order of the character "副."
美副国务卿:稳定美中关系 但不信任中共
měi fù guó wù 卿 : wěn dìng měi zhōng guān xì dàn bù xìn rèn zhōng gòng
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State: Stabilize U.S.-China relations but don't trust the CCP
张冬云任四川省副省长
zhāng dōng yún rèn sì chuān shěng fù shěng cháng
Zhang Dongyun was appointed vice governor of Sichuan Province
黄国昌当李四川副手?周榆修批“外界超译”:新北合作应全民...
huáng guó chāng dāng lǐ sì chuān fù shǒu ? zhōu 榆 xiū pī wài jiè chāo yì : xīn běi gě zuò yīng quán mín . . .
Huang Guochang as Li Sichuan's deputy? Zhou Yuxiu criticized the "external supertranslation": New Taipei cooperation should be the whole people...
【联副文讯】联副/舒国治、朱国珍对谈:饮食书写...
lián fù wén xùn lián fù shū guó zhì , zhū guó zhēn duì tán : yǐn shí shū xiě . . .
【Joint Deputy News】Joint Deputy/Shu Guozhi, Zhu Guozhen Dialogue: Food Writing...
Itron高级副总裁Ware出售44.65万美元股票以支...
I t r o n gāo jí fù zǒng cái W a r e chū shòu 4 4 . 6 5 wàn měi yuán gǔ piào yǐ zhī . . .
Itron Senior Vice President Ware Sells $446,500 Stock to Support...
她打扮得妖里妖气，一副傻样！
Tā dǎban de yāoli-yāoqì, yī fù shǎ yàng!
She dresses so outrageously; it looks completely ridiculous!
他把全副心神放在学业上。
Tā bǎ quánfù xīnshén fàng zài xuéyè shàng.
He applied himself to his study.
她把她那时的全副积蓄都给了他。
Tā bǎ tā nàshí de quánfù jīxù dōu gěi le tā.
She gave him all the money that she had then.
可能会引起视力模糊、呼吸急促等副作用。
Kěnéng huì yǐnqǐ shìlì móhu, hūxī jícù děng fùzuòyòng.
Possible side effects include blurred vision and shortness of breath.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 副 (fù) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 副 and 逼?
How many strokes does 副 have?
What is the radical of 副?
What are the components of 副?
What are common words containing 副?
What characters sound the same as 副 (fù)?
Is 副 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 副 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.