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复

復
fù
verb #6,687

Meanings

  1. 1 to return; to repeat
  2. 2 to reply; again
  3. 3 complex (複)

Examples

请回复我。
Qǐng huífù wǒ.
Please reply to me.
复习功课。
Fùxí gōngkè.
Review the lessons.
这个问题很复杂。
Zhège wèntí hěn fùzá.
This problem is very complex.

Tips

usage
复 merges two traditional characters: 復 (to return/repeat — 恢复, 复习) and 複 (complex/multiple — 复杂, 复印). Key compounds: 回复, 复习, 复杂, 重复.

Components

radical
夂 zhǐ
to walk slowly; trailing foot
Bottom 夂 — pictograph of a foot trailing behind, the indexing radical (Kangxi #34, the 'go-slow' radical). It marks 复 as a motion verb: walking back the way you came, returning, repeating. The shape is a foot with the heel turned, suggesting retracing one's steps.
semantic
亻 rén
person (graphic)
Top of the simplified form — a small 亻 at the head. In the traditional 復 the top was 彳 (step-radical) marking 'going back along a road'; the 1956 reform compressed it to two strokes. 亻 here is graphic residue, retaining the sense of 'someone returning.'
phonetic
日 rì
sun (here graphic)
Middle 日 — historically the upper part of a phonetic element (a ritual vessel seen from above). Now reads as 日 by appearance only. With 夂 below it forms the unit supplying the fù sound. Same phonetic in 腹 fù (belly), 覆 fù (cover), 馥 fù (fragrance).

Stroke Order

复 fù