非

fēi
HSK 5
#283 most
frequent character
non-, not-, un-, abbr. for Africa 非洲
adverb
preposition

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

非 shows two people facing away from each other. That picture of opposition gives the first meaning, 'to go against, oppose.' It grew to 'wrong' and then to 'is not, non-'.

Drawn as: two people facing away

非 as a component in other characters

meaning3 characters
靠靡诽
sound22 characters
排罪悲菲辈匪啡斐徘裴诽腓绯扉翡蜚

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Example Sentences

这个地方非比寻常。
zhègè dìfāng fēi bǐ xúncháng 。
This place is extraordinary.
他非要去参加这个会议。
tā fēiyào qù cānjiā zhègè huìyì 。
He insists on attending this meeting.
非洲是一个非常大的大陆。
fēizhōu shì yígè fēicháng dà de dàlù 。
Africa is a very large continent.

Grammar Points

HSK 6
Adding emphasis with "fei....buke"非…不可
HSK 6
Expressing "could it be possible that" with "mofei"莫非…不成
HSK 6
Expressing “must" with "feidei"非…不可

Words with similar meanings

绝对juéduì
absolute
This term emphasizes an extreme position, often used to indicate something that is certainly true or necessary.
确实quèshí
indeed
This term confirms a statement with more emphasis, indicating that something is true or valid.

Homophones

飞fēi
fly
菲fēi
luxuriant (plant growth)

Words Starting With 非

非常fēi cháng
unusual; extraordinary; extreme; very; exceptional
非法fēi fǎ
illegal

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Public Lists with 非

HSK 5
All words for the HSK 5 test