How to Write 篚 (fěi) — Meaning “round bamboo basket”

Picture a round bamboo basket that looks like the letter 'F' when viewed from the side, and repeat the sound 'fěi' like 'fay'. You can also imagine a fancy bamboo basket (竹) that is round and elegant, associating '匪' with the word 'fancy'.

Write the bamboo radical 竹 first, making it narrow and balanced on the top, then write the bottom part 匪. The 匪 component contains the enclosure 匚 and the double 非; be careful not to make the enclosure too wide or the 非 too cramped. Overall, the top and bottom should be roughly equal in width.

篚 is a round bamboo basket, while 箅 is a flat bamboo sieve or strainer used for draining. 箍 is a bamboo hoop or metal band used to bind barrels or wheels, not a basket at all. Visually, 篚 has the phonetic 匪, 箅 has 畀, and 箍 has 固 inside the bamboo radical.

篚 is a rare character not in the HSK vocabulary, mostly appearing in classical Chinese or historical writings about ancient utensils. The word 筐篚 (kuāng fěi) sometimes appears in literary or formal contexts to mean baskets in general. Culturally, it reminds us of the importance of bamboo weaving in ancient daily life.

Common words containing 篚 include: 筐篚 (kuāng fěi) — Bamboo baskets (general term for baskets); 篚筐 (fěi kuāng) — bamboo baskets; 篚 (fěi) — round bamboo basket.