富 from HSK Level 3 Vocabulary List

The Chinese character 富 (fù) for "wealth" or "rich" is composed of two parts: the radical 貝 (bèi) and the phonetic component 畐 (fù). The radical 貝 originally depicted a cowrie shell, which was used as a form of currency in ancient China. The phonetic component 畐 is a simplified form of the character 阜 (fù), which means "mound" or "hill". Together, the two components of 富 suggest the idea of wealth or abundance, as a mound of cowrie shells would have been a valuable possession in ancient times.The character 富 has a long history in Chinese culture and has been used in a variety of contexts to express the concept of wealth or prosperity. For example, it is often used in names and titles, such as the title 富翁 (fùwēng) for a wealthy person or the name 富贵 (fùguì) for a prosperous family. It is also used in proverbs and idioms, such as the saying 富不过三代 (fù bù guò sān dài), which means "wealth does not last for more than three generations".In modern Chinese, the character 富 is still commonly used to refer to wealth or prosperity, but it can also be used in a more abstract sense to refer to other forms of abundance or richness, such as a rich life experience or a rich cultural heritage.