How to Write 偾 (fèn) — Meaning “To ruin / To fail”

Imagine a person (亻) who is so frustrated that they "fèn" (sounds like "frenzy") and accidentally ruins everything they touch. Picture someone knocking over a vase, saying "I fēn it up!" to connect the sound and meaning. This links the character's pinyin and its meaning of failure in a vivid scene.

Write the left radical 亻 first (two strokes: a slanted vertical and a short horizontal), then write the right part 贲 in 9 strokes: top 十, then 贝, then two small strokes resembling 八. Common mistakes include confusing the bottom of 贲 with 贝 (shell), which looks similar — make sure the bottom has two outward strokes, not a closed shape. Also keep the character balanced, with the left part slightly taller than the right.

Unlike 侮 (wǔ, to insult) which uses the same radical but has a different right component (每), 偾 specifically means to ruin or fail, not to offend. 侯 (hóu, marquis) lacks the person radical and has a different pronunciation and meaning — it is a noble title. Visually, 偾 has 贲 on the right (with 十 and 贝), while 侮 has 每 (with 母), and 侯 is simpler with 亻 and a dot.

The character 偾 is rare in everyday speech and appears mostly in formal or literary expressions like 偾事 (fèn shì, to spoil things) and 偾张 (fèn zhāng, bulging veins or muscles). It carries a strong dramatic tone, so you might encounter it in news reports about failed projects or in medical descriptions of swelling. Historically, it was used in classical texts to describe social or political collapse, but today it is not part of common HSK vocabulary.

Common words containing 偾 include: 偾事 (fèn shì) — To spoil things / To ruin an affair; 偾张 (fèn zhāng) — distended; bulging (of veins or muscles); 偾兴 (fèn xīng) — To be roused / To be excited.