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fān
番
💬Advanced
HSK 6

📕 Advanced — HSK 5-6 vocabulary

Meaning

Classifier for turns, sorts, or kinds of effort/experience. Literary tone.

🏮 Cultural Story

中文 Chinese

"番"带着一股文雅气，专指"一番努力""一番话""一番风景"。它本义是轮流、更替，所以"一番"有种一轮、一次完整经历的味道。外国人学中文常说"我练习了一番"，听起来比"我练了练"正式多了——"番"就是给你加分的那个词。

English

**番 (fān)** carries a literary tone, for 一番努力 (an effort), 一番话 (a speech), 一番风景 (a view). Its original meaning was "to take turns, to alternate," so 一番 suggests "one round, one complete experience." Foreigners who say 我练习了一番 sound far more formal than 我练了练 — 番 is the word that levels you up.

🎯 番 = a round of (effort). Literary tone for turns, efforts, experiences.

💡 Memory Tip

番 has a literary feel. It's used for a 'round' of effort, words, or experience.

Examples

一番话
yī fān huà
a speech
一番努力
yī fān nǔ lì
a round of effort

Common Nouns Used With

话huàspeech / words
努力nǔ lìeffort
心意xīn yìsentiment / regard
事业shì yècareer / cause
风景fēng jǐngscenery / landscape

Related Measure Words

次 cì场 chǎng

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💬HSK 6
番
fān

Classifier for turns, sorts, or kinds of effort/experience. Literary tone.

一番话
yī fān huà
a speech
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