How to Write 俸 (fèng) — Meaning “official's salary”

Imagine a person (亻) holding up a tray with offerings (奉) — this tray represents the salary they receive. The character 奉 itself looks like two hands presenting something, so 俸 is a person receiving an official salary.

Pay attention to the right side 奉: it has three horizontal strokes, with the top two shorter and the bottom one longer. The left radical 亻 should be narrow, and the final vertical stroke of 奉 must align properly to keep the character balanced.

佩 (pèi) means to wear or admire, and it has a person radical on the left with a different right side (几 and 巾). 佬 (lǎo) means a man or guy, and often carries a slightly disrespectful tone. In contrast, 俸 specifically refers to an official's salary and has no such connotations.

俸 appears in formal or historical contexts, such as 俸禄 (official salary) and 薪俸 (salary). It is rarely used in daily conversation but can be seen in books about history or official documents, reflecting the tradition of government pay.

Common words containing 俸 include: 俸禄 (fèng lù) — official's salary; 薪俸 (xīn fèng) — Salary; 减俸 (jiǎn fèng) — to reduce salary.