犯

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 犯 (fàn) is composed of two parts: the radical 戈 (gē), which represents a weapon, and the phonetic component 反 (fǎn), which means "to turn against" or "to rebel". The combination of these two components suggests the idea of using a weapon to attack or harm someone, which is the basic meaning of the character 犯.In ancient Chinese, 犯 was used as a verb meaning "to commit a crime" or "to violate a law". It was also used as a noun meaning "a crime" or "an offense". Over time, the meaning of 犯 has expanded to include a wider range of negative actions, such as "to make a mistake", "to cause trouble", or "to disturb".The character 犯 can also be used in a more general sense to mean "to encounter" or "to come across". For example, the phrase 犯难 (fàn nàn) means "to encounter difficulties", and the phrase 犯困 (fàn kùn) means "to feel sleepy".In addition to its literal meanings, 犯 can also be used in a figurative sense to express emotions such as anger, frustration, or annoyance. For example, the phrase 犯愁 (fàn chóu) means "to be worried or troubled", and the phrase 犯贱 (fàn jiàn) means "to act in a self-deprecating or masochistic manner".Overall, the character 犯 is a versatile character with a rich history and a wide range of meanings. It is an important character to learn for HSK learners, as it is used frequently in both written and spoken Chinese.