Chinese word dictionary

敷衍

fūyǎn · to elaborate (on a theme); to expound (the classics); perfunctory; to skimp; to botch; to do sth half-heartedly or just for show; barely enough to get by

Practice word

Word information

Simplified敷衍

Traditional敷衍

Pinyinfūyǎn

Part of speech动

HSK 3.07-9

HSK 2.06

Character breakdown

Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.

敷fū

to apply, to paint, to spread

衍yǎn

to overflow; to spread out

How to learn 敷衍

Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.

When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.

Related vocabulary

Words with the same characters

Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.

繁衍fányǎn

to multiply; to reproduce; to increase gradually in number or quantity

敷fū

to spread; to lay out; to apply (powder, ointment etc); sufficient (to cover); enough

衍生yǎnshēng

to give rise to; to derive; derivative; derivation