How to Write 肺 (fèi) — Meaning “lung”

Imagine the left side ⺼ as a piece of flesh, and the right side 巿 as a person with a large chest showing two lungs. The vertical line in the middle can remind you of the windpipe connecting to the lungs.

A common mistake is writing the right side like 市 (market) with a dot on top. The correct right side is 巿, which has a vertical line that goes through both horizontal strokes and has no dot. Remember the stroke order: left radical then right, with the vertical line as the second stroke on the right.

Both 肺 and 肝 share the left radical ⺼ for body parts. The difference is the right side: 肺 has 巿 (giving the sound fèi), while 肝 has 干 (gān, meaning "dry" and giving the sound gān). So 肺 means lung, and 肝 means liver.

You will see 肺 in medical terms like 肺炎 (fèiyán, pneumonia) and 肺活量 (fèihuóliàng, lung capacity). In traditional Chinese medicine, the lungs are associated with autumn and the emotion of grief, so the character may appear in health or cultural discussions.

Common words containing 肺 include: 肺部 (fèi bù) — lungs; pulmonary region; 肺炎 (fèi yán) — pneumonia; 肺活量 (fèi huó liàng) — vital capacity (lung capacity).