Chinese word

吩咐

Pronunciation

Pinyinfēn fù

Meaning

  • verbinstruct

Example

医生吩咐护士准备药品。yī shēng fēn fù hù shì zhǔn bèi yào pǐn

The doctor instructed the nurse to prepare the medicine.

Illustration for 吩咐 (instruct)

More examples

上司吩咐大家调整工作计划。shàng sī fēn fù dà jiā tiáo zhěng gōng zuò jì huà

The boss instructed everyone to adjust the work plan.

Core concept

A spoken direction that assigns another person a task and carries an expectation of follow-through.

Common phrases

  • 吩咐团队成员fēn fù tuán duì chéng yuán

    instruct team members

  • 吩咐护士准备药品fēn fù hù shì zhǔn bèi yào pǐn

    instruct the nurse to prepare the medicine

  • 被吩咐加班bèi fēn fù jiā bān

    be ordered to work overtime

Similar words

指示zhǐ shì: Explaining the specific way or order in which a task or action should be done.
命令mìng lìng: Strongly directing someone to act from a position of authority.
嘱咐zhǔ fù: Reminding someone of important details or steps so the task is not forgotten.
布置bù zhì: Assigning work or duties and arranging for the needed preparation.

Definition in Chinese

通过言语交代任务或要求，向他人说明应做的事并要求其按指示执行，语气可较正式或强硬。tōng guò yán yǔ jiāo dài rèn wù huò yāo qiú xiàng tā rén shuō míng yīng zuò de shì bìng yāo qiú qí àn zhǐ shì zhí xíng yǔ qì kě jiào zhèng shì huò qiáng yìng

Word origin

吩咐 (fēnfù, "to instruct") developed as a spoken directive term, with its written form using characters connected to the mouth and oral communication.

Usage tips

  • Among friends, it can sound heavier than a casual favor, so it fits assigned duties better than small social requests.

Other meanings

  • orderverb
  • tellverb

Opposites

  • 放任fàng rènleave uncheckedverb

Word lists with this word