Chinese word

烦

Pronunciation

Pinyinfán

Meaning

  • verbbother

Example

别烦我，我在忙。bié fán wǒ wǒ zài máng

Don't bother me, I'm busy.

Illustration for 烦 (bother)

More examples

不要烦别人，他们也有自己的事。bú yào fán bié rén tā men yě yǒu zì jǐ de shì

Don't bother other people; they have things to do too.

Core concept

An unwanted demand on another person's mind, time, or peace.

Common phrases

  • 别再烦我了bié zài fán wǒ le

    don't bother me anymore

  • 不要烦别人bú yào fán bié rén

    don't bother other people

Similar words

打扰dá rǎo: Breaking into someone's activity or attention and interrupting what they are doing.
打搅dá jiǎo: Disrupting someone's peace or activity so that they have to pause.
麻烦má fán: Putting an extra burden or inconvenience on someone.

Definition in Chinese

使别人感到被打扰或心情不安，指外在行为或话语造成的困扰或妨碍。shǐ bié rén gǎn dào bèi dá rǎo huò xīn qíng bù ān zhǐ wài zài xíng wèi huò huà yǔ zào chéng de kùn rǎo huò fáng ài

Word origin

烦 (fán, "bother") comes from the traditional form 煩 (fán, "bother"), which expresses inner agitation and develops naturally into the act of causing that agitation in someone else.

Usage tips

  • English "bother" can introduce a small request, but this Chinese verb more often describes an unwelcome interruption or source of irritation in everyday speech.

Other meanings

  • troubleverb
  • annoyverb

Related words

Word lists with this word