fǎng

昉

Character · Adjective · Verb

bright; beginning

Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma

Meanings

2 senses · 4 examples
1.

adjective

bright; luminous

literary

A literary and archaic word, rarely used in modern Chinese except in classical allusions or poetry.

Dōng东
fāng方
jì既
fǎng昉
 ，
chén晨
guāng光
xī熹
wēi微
 。

The east is already bright, with the faint light of dawn.

Yè夜
jìn尽
tiān天
fǎng昉
 ，
wàn万
wù物
fù复
sū苏
 。

The night ends and the sky brightens, all things revive.

2.

verb

to begin; to start

literary

Used in classical texts to indicate the beginning of something. It is the original meaning of the character.

Zhōu周
lǐ礼
zhī之
fǎng昉
 ，
shǐ始
yú于
Chéng成
wáng王
 。

The initiation of the Zhou rites began with King Cheng.

Cǐ此
fēng风
zhī之
fǎng昉
 ，
wèi未
kě可
kǎo考
yě也
 。

The origin of this custom is not verifiable.