How to Write 废 (fèi) — Meaning “Waste; useless; to abolish”

Visualize a roof (广) over a pile of tangled rubbish that looks like the component 发 (twisted lines). This image reminds you that 废 means waste, rubbish, or something worthless. You can also remember the sound "fee" and think of paying a fee to throw away trash.

Write the radical 广 first, covering the top and left side, then add the component 发. The dot on top of 发 is small and positioned slightly to the left, and the bottom of 发 should not be too wide. A common mistake is making the right side too large, so keep it balanced under the roof.

These three characters all have the radical 广, but their lower parts differ. 废 has 发 (sending out), relating to waste. 庄 has 土 (earth), meaning a village. 㢆 is very rare and not used in modern Chinese, so you will almost never see it. Focus on the different bottom components to tell them apart.

废 appears in common words like 废物 (waste or a useless person), 废话 (nonsense), and 废纸 (waste paper). It often carries a negative meaning of being discarded or worthless. Note that calling someone 废物 is an insult, so use it carefully, and 废 is also used in formal contexts like 废除 (to abolish laws or systems).

Common words containing 废 include: 废物 (fèi wù) — Waste; rubbish; useless person; 废话 (fèi huà) — Nonsense; idle talk; 废纸 (fèi zhǐ) — Waste paper.