咐 (fù) · to instruct; to tell (only in 吩咐 / 嘱咐)

Meanings

1 to instruct; to tell (only in 吩咐 / 嘱咐)

Characters

咐

fù

to instruct (bound form)

Examples

HSK 7-9

妈妈吩咐我记得锁门。

Māma fēnfù wǒ jìde suǒmén.

Mother told me to remember to lock the door.

HSK 7-9

临走前老师再三嘱咐我们路上小心。

Línzǒu qián lǎoshī zàisān zhǔfù wǒmen lùshàng xiǎoxīn.

Before leaving, the teacher repeatedly told us to be careful on the road.

Tips

usage

咐 is bound and toneless in practice. It lives only in 吩咐 (to instruct, give orders to) and 嘱咐 (to urge, exhort), both about telling someone to do something.

Components

radical

口 kǒu

mouth

The mouth radical. Instructing and exhorting are done by speaking, so the mouth radical marks 咐 as an act of the spoken word.

phonetic

付 fù

to hand over; to pay

Supplies the sound: standalone 付 is fù and 咐 keeps that reading. The handing-over sense also subtly fits passing instructions to someone, but it serves mainly as the pronunciation.