弗 fú — not · English

弗

fú

not

At a glance · 弗

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「弗」甲骨文象以绳束矫枉之形，后借为否定副词。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「弗」本为矫枉之具象形，假借为不、勿，文言否定词。

Structure

象形字，本象束物矫直，假借为否定词「不」。

At a glance

Pinyinfú

Radical弓

Strokes5

UnicodeU+5F17

Character type象形

Theme虚词

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English not not, negative; dollar

Français ne pas (classique) Ne pas (littéraire). «造次弗离» : ne point abandonner.

Español no (clásico) No (literario). «造次弗离»: no abandonar.

العربية لا (كلاسيكي) لا (أدبي). «造次弗离»: لا تتخلَّ عنه.

Русский не (классич.) Не (книжн.). «造次弗离»: не покидать.

Common words

弗fúnot (classical)

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