How to Write 伏 (fú) — Meaning “To lean over; to hide; to yield; dog days of summer”

Imagine a person (亻) crouching down like a dog (犬) to hide or lean over a desk. This image links the two parts to the core ideas of bending down or concealing yourself.

Start with the narrow person radical on the left, then write the right side 犬 with stroke order: horizontal, left-falling, right-falling, and finally a dot. A common mistake is to miss or misplace the last dot—it should sit just above the right-falling stroke.

Unlike 什 (person + ten) or 仁 (person + two), 伏 uses 犬 (dog) on the right. Visually, 伏 has a diagonal stroke and a dot instead of the simple cross or two horizontal lines, and its meanings focus on bending, hiding, or the dog days of summer.

伏 appears in common words like 伏案 (bend over a desk to work or study), 起伏 (rise and fall, ups and downs), and 埋伏 (ambush, to lie in wait). It also refers to the 伏天 (dog days of summer), the hottest period in the Chinese calendar when people traditionally seek shade and rest.

Common words containing 伏 include: 伏案 (fú àn) — To bend over a desk (working or studying); 起伏 (qǐ fú) — to rise and fall; ups and downs; 埋伏 (mái fú) — ambush.