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樊

fán
noun #46,380

Meanings

  1. 1 fence
  2. 2 hedge; cage

Examples

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.
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