How to Write 悱 (fěi) — Meaning “to want to speak but find no words”

Picture your heart (忄) blocked by a big red 'NO' sign (非). You open your mouth to speak, but the block stops you — that frustrated feeling is 悱.

Write the left radical 忄 as two dots (left dot first, then right dot) followed by a vertical stroke. The right part 非 has six strokes: first write the left side (three strokes: vertical, horizontal, horizontal), then the right side (vertical, horizontal, horizontal). Keep the two vertical lines parallel and evenly spaced.

悱 (fěi) means wanting to speak but can't — it's about emotional blockage. 恂 (xún) means sincere or cautious, and 恃 (shì) means to rely on or depend on. Visually, 悱 uses 非 on the right, 恂 uses 旬, and 恃 uses 寺.

悱 is a literary character rarely used in daily speech. It appears in set phrases like 悱恻 (deeply sorrowful) and the Confucian saying 不悱不启 (do not teach until the student is struggling to express). It typically describes deep, unspoken emotions in poetry or classical texts.

Common words containing 悱 include: 悱恻 (fěi cè) — deeply moved; sorrowful; 悱愤 (fěi fèn) — indignant and eager to speak; 悱然 (fěi rán) — looking like one wants to speak but can't.