乏

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short of; tired

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A foot 之 running into a wall or barrier 丿

Components 丿之

weary · Heisig RSH #989

eyedropper + sign of Zorro

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
回天乏术	huí tiān fá shù	(idiom) nothing can be done to remedy the situation; beyond recovery
分身乏术	fēn shēn fá shù	to be up to one's ears in work (idiom); to be unable to attend to other things at the same…
单调乏味	dān diào fá wèi	monotonous; dull; tedious (idiom)
后继乏人	hòu jì fá rén	see 後繼無人\|后继无人[hou4 ji4 wu2 ren2]
波提乏	Bō tí fá	Potiphar, the captain of the pharaoh's guard (in the account of Joseph in the Book of Gene…
人困马乏	rén kùn mǎ fá	riders tired and horses weary (idiom); worn out; exhausted; spent; fatigued
乏善可陈	fá shàn kě chén	(idiom) to be nothing to write home about
乏人照顾	fá rén zhào gù	(of a person) left unattended; not cared for
不乏	bù fá	there is no lack of
乏力	fá lì	lacking in strength; weak; feeble; not up to the task
欲振乏力	yù zhèn fá lì	to try to rouse oneself but lack the strength (idiom)
缺乏症	quē fá zhèng	clinical deficiency
解乏	jiě fá	to relieve tiredness; to freshen up
语言匮乏	yǔ yán kuì fá	language deficit (linguistics)
乏燃料棒	fá rán liào bàng	(nuclear energy) spent fuel rods
乏燃料	fá rán liào	(nuclear energy) spent fuel
乏味	fá wèi	tedious
承乏	chéng fá	to accept a position on a provisional basis, in the absence of better qualified candidates…
缺乏	quē fá	to lack; to be short of
贫乏	pín fá	impoverished; lacking; deficient; limited; meager; impoverishment; lack; deficiency

These characters use 乏 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
乏 sound part	fá	poor; short, lacking; tired
泛	fàn	to drift, to float; broad, vast; careless, reckless
砭	biān	stone probe; to pierce; to counsel