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樊

fán
noun #46,380

Meanings

  1. 1 fence
  2. 2 hedge; cage

Examples

HSK 7-9
他渴望挣脱尘世的樊笼。
Tā kěwàng zhèngtuō chénshì de fán lóng.
He longed to break free from the cage of worldly affairs.
HSK 7-9
旧习俗如同樊篱，束缚着人的思想。
Jiù xísú rútóng fán lí, shùfù zhe rén de sīxiǎng.
Old conventions are like a fence that confines people's thinking.

Tips

usage
Literary, met mostly in 樊笼 ('cage') and 樊篱 ('fence; barrier'), both often figurative for confinement. Capitalized Fán is also a common surname.

Components

semantic
木 mù
wood; tree
Wood, on the upper left. A fence is built of wooden stakes, so this tree element gives the 'fence' meaning, paired with a matching 木 on the right.
semantic
爻 yáo
interlacing lines
Crossed lines, sitting between the two trees, picturing the interwoven lattice of a wooden fence or hedge.
semantic
木 mù
wood; tree
Wood, on the upper right, mirroring the left 木. Two trees with the lattice between them form the wooden enclosure that this character names.
semantic
大 dà
big; person with arms out
A figure at the bottom showing hands grasping the fence, hinting at someone hemmed in by it, the seed of the figurative 'confinement' sense.

Stroke Order

樊 fán