讽 (fěng): to satirize

Meanings

1 to satirize
2 to mock
3 to recite

Characters

讽

fěng

to satirize, to mock, to recite

Examples

HSK 5

他借古讽今，批评了现实中的不公正现象。

Tā jiègǔfěngjīn, pīpíng le xiànshí zhōng de bù gōngzhèng xiànxiàng.

He used the past to satirize the present, criticizing injustices in current society.

HSK 7-9

这首诗是用来讽喻当时腐败的官场的。

Zhè shǒu shī shì yònglái fěngyù dāngshí fǔbài de guānchǎng de.

This poem was used to satirize the corrupt officialdom of the time.

Tips

usage

讽 is typically found in compounds: 讽刺 (to satirize/irony), 讽喻 (allegory/satire), 嘲讽 (to mock). Rarely used alone in modern speech.

Components

radical

讠 yán

speech

The speech radical on the left marks 讽 as something done with words - satirising, mocking, or in classical use, reciting aloud. It indexes it with the speech family: 说 say, 谈 chat, 讲 explain, 谋 plan, 谣 ballad - every verb of articulate communication.

phonetic

风 fēng

wind (here phonetic)

风 supplies the sound fēng to fěng, a small tone shift. It also adds a soft semantic flavour: ancient critics styled their satire as "wind" - light, pervasive air that carries criticism without confrontation, just as 风 carries seed and rumour. Same phonetic in 枫 maple.