How to Write 驸 (fù) — Meaning “extra horse; emperor's son-in-law”

Imagine a horse (马) that is "付" (giving) a ride to the emperor's son-in-law. The character 付 sounds like "foo" and looks like a person with a little extra, so think: "Extra horse for the foo-lucky guy who married the princess."

The left radical 马 should be narrow and slightly tilted, while the right part 付 is wider. A common mistake is making the left side too big; keep 马 about one-third of the total width. Write the strokes of 马 in order: horizontal, vertical, horizontal, hook, then the right side 付: left-slanting stroke, vertical, horizontal, vertical hook.

驸 (fù) means "extra horse" or "emperor's son-in-law," while 驮 (tuó) means "to carry on one's back," using a horse radical with a large 大 (big). 驯 (xùn) means "tame" or "domesticated," with a horse radical and a river-like right side (川). Visually, 驸 has the phonetic 付, 驮 has 大, and 驯 has 川.

驸 is almost exclusively used in the term 驸马 (fù mǎ), meaning the emperor's son-in-law, and in historical or literary contexts. You might encounter it in Chinese historical dramas or novels about ancient imperial families. The word carries a strong cultural reference to feudal China, where the emperor's daughter's husband held this special title and lived in a 驸马府 (residence).

Common words containing 驸 include: 驸马 (fù mǎ) — emperor's son-in-law; 驸马爷 (fù mǎ yé) — respectful title for the emperor's son-in-law; 驸马府 (fù mǎ fǔ) — residence of the emperor's son-in-law.