酚

fēn
noun #20,934

Meanings

  1. 1 phenol
  2. 2 carbolic acid

Examples

HSK 7-9
Fēn shì yì zhǒng zhòngyào de huàgōng yuánliào.
Phenol is an important chemical raw material.
HSK 7-9
Xiāodújì zhōng hányǒu fēn lèi huàhéwù.
Disinfectants contain phenolic compounds.

Tips

memory
The character 酚 contains 酉 (the radical for alcohol or fermentation) on the left and 分 (divide or separate) on the right - phenol is an aromatic alcohol-like compound derived from benzene.

Components

radical
酉 yǒu
wine vessel; alcohol
酉 pictures a tall fermentation jar and serves as the indexing radical for alcohol- and chemistry-flavoured chars (酒, 酸, 醇, 酶). In 酚 it places phenol - a coal-tar alcohol relative - squarely in the chemical-compound family, a modern reuse of an ancient brewing graph.
phonetic
分 fēn
divide; portion
分 gives the sound directly with no tone shift, identical reading to the parent. The same phonetic powers 粉 (powder), 纷 (tangled), 芬 (fragrance) - all share the fēn rime and the loose feel of separating or distributing into parts.

Stroke Order

酚 fēn