fēn
noun #42,890

Meanings

  1. 1 atmosphere; ambiance
  2. 2 miasma; vapor

Examples

Jiérì de qìfēn hěn nóng.
The festive atmosphere is strong.
Jiàoshì lǐ de fēnwéi hěn jǐnzhāng.
The atmosphere in the classroom is tense.

Tips

usage
Almost always used in 气氛 (qìfēn) or 氛围 (fēnwéi), both meaning atmosphere/ambiance.

Components

radical
vapor; air
Vapor radical wrapping from the top-right, the indexing radical. It pictures rising steam or clouds drifting on the wind. Files with air, hydrogen, chlorine. The whole graph names something atmospheric — exactly what 'ambiance' is: air with a mood.
phonetic
fēn
to divide; portion
Inside the vapor frame, supplies the fēn sound exactly. There's a thin semantic echo too — 'a particular share' of air, the distinct mood that hangs over a place. But mainly read here as the phonetic. Same root: powder, numerous, fragrant.

Stroke Order

fēn