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瘋 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
瘋fēngcrazy, insane, mentally illzg, 14 strokes, radical 疒
fēng(feng1)feng T1
  1. 1crazy, insane, mentally ill
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March 24, 2026

瘋fēng(feng1)

The character 瘋 (fēng) means 'crazy' or 'insane,' often referring to someone who is mentally unstable or exhibits erratic behavior. It can be used in both serious contexts, such as describing mental health issues, and in more casual settings, such as expressing enthusiasm or excitement, like saying someone is 'crazy about' something.

Strokes14Radical疒
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, mental health issues can carry stigma, and the term 瘋 might evoke traditional beliefs about madness being linked to spiritual disturbances. This reflects a historical view where mental illness was often misunderstood and misrepresented.

Memory Tip

Imagine a 'crazy' person running wildly, with a dog that has a '疯' (fēng) haircut resembling a wild bush. The character itself has a radical '病' (bìng) that relates to illness, hinting at its meaning about mental instability.

Meanings of 瘋

fēng(feng1)
1crazy, insane, mentally ill
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

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About 瘋

瘋Simplified
14Strokes
疒Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 瘋

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Podcast: 瘋

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AI Study Notes for 瘋

Quick Contrast

瘋 (fēng) vs 疯 (fēng) — choose 瘋 for a more traditional or literary context, while 疯 is the simplified form used in modern standard Mandarin.

Usage Notes

Be cautious when using 瘋, as it can be perceived as derogatory if referring to someone's mental state. In informal settings, it’s common to use it to express excitement, but in formal discussions, consider using terms like '精神' (jīngshén) for mental health. Note the tonal pronunciation—fēng (first tone) must not be confused with fēng (fourth tone, meaning 'wind').

HSK Study Tips

Though 瘋 is not an HSK word, it can be connected to other HSK vocabulary related to health and emotions, such as 病 (bìng, illness) or 疯狂 (fēngkuáng, madness). Students should focus on recognizing the radicals and forming sentences that express opinions or descriptions about mental states.

Common Mistakes

Learners often mistakenly use 瘋 in formal contexts without understanding its connotation, such as saying '他的行为很瘋' (tā de xíngwéi hěn fēng, his behavior is very crazy) which can be inappropriate. A better phrase would be '他的行为很奇怪' (tā de xíngwéi hěn qíguài, his behavior is very strange).

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 瘋

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Etymology of 瘋

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 疒 represents the meaning and 风 represents the sound. Simplified form of 瘋.

Memory Hint

sickness

Semantic (meaning)疒
+
Phonetic (sound)風
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

瘋 = 疒 + 風. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 瘋

IDS Structure⿸疒風
瘋Full Character
=
疒ne4
enclosing
風feng1
inner
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 瘋?

How to say crazy, insane, mentally ill in Chinese

“crazy, insane, mentally ill” in Chinese is瘋fēng

The character 瘋 (fēng) means 'crazy' or 'insane,' often referring to someone who is mentally unstable or exhibits erratic behavior. It can be used in both serious contexts, such as describing mental health issues, and in more casual settings, such as expressing enthusiasm or excitement, like saying someone is 'crazy about' something.

When to use 瘋

Be cautious when using 瘋, as it can be perceived as derogatory if referring to someone's mental state. In informal settings, it’s common to use it to express excitement, but in formal discussions, consider using terms like '精神' (jīngshén) for mental health. Note the tonal pronunciation—fēng (first tone) must not be confused with fēng (fourth tone, meaning 'wind').

瘋 or something close to it

瘋 (fēng) vs 疯 (fēng) — choose 瘋 for a more traditional or literary context, while 疯 is the simplified form used in modern standard Mandarin.

What learners get wrong

Learners often mistakenly use 瘋 in formal contexts without understanding its connotation, such as saying '他的行为很瘋' (tā de xíngwéi hěn fēng, his behavior is very crazy) which can be inappropriate. A better phrase would be '他的行为很奇怪' (tā de xíngwéi hěn qíguài, his behavior is very strange).

Write 瘋

瘋

Practice writing 瘋 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Word Family of 瘋

Words Containing This Character13
疯fēngmad瘋
疯狂fēngkuángcrazy瘋狂
疯子fēngzimadman瘋子
发疯to go mad發瘋
疯癫insane瘋癲
疯牛病mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy)瘋牛病
疯疯癫癫deranged瘋瘋癲癲
装疯卖傻to play the fool (idiom)裝瘋賣傻
发酒疯to get wildly drunk發酒瘋
人来疯to get hyped up in front of an audience人來瘋
麻疯leprosy麻瘋
撒酒疯roaring drunk撒酒瘋
疯瘫paralysis瘋癱
Exercise 1 of 4

Characters with 瘋

What does 疯 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 瘋

Yes, 瘋 can be used in casual contexts to describe someone who is very enthusiastic or passionate about something, though caution is advised when referring to mental health.

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