# 方便
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): fāngbiàn
       (Zhuyin): ㄈㄤ ㄅㄧㄢˋ
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): фонбян (fonbi͡an, I-I)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): fong$^1$ bin$^6$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): fong$^1$ ben$^5$
* Gan (Wiktionary): 'fong$^1$ pien$^5$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): fông-phien
    (Meixian, Guangdong): fong$^1$ piên$^4$
* Eastern Min (BUC): huŏng-biêng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): hong-piān
    (Teochew, Peng'im): huang$^1$ biêng$^6$ / huang$^1$ biang$^6$
* Wu (Northern, Wugniu): $^1$faon-bi$_6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: fāngbiàn → fāngbian (toneless final syllable variant)
*** Zhuyin: ㄈㄤ ㄅㄧㄢˋ → ㄈㄤ ˙ㄅㄧㄢ (toneless final syllable variant)
*** Tongyong Pinyin: fangbiån
*** Wade–Giles: fang$^1$-pien$^5$
*** Yale: fāng-byan
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: fang.biann
*** Palladius: фанбянь (fanbjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /fɑŋ⁵⁵ pi̯ɛn⁵¹/ → /fɑŋ⁵⁵ b̥i̯ɛn²/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: фонбян (fonbi͡an, I-I)
*** Sinological IPA : /fɑŋ²⁴ piæ̃²⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: fong$^1$ bin$^6$
*** Yale: fōng bihn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: fong$^1$ bin$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: fong$^1$ bin$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /fɔːŋ⁵⁵ piːn²²/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: fong$^1$ ben$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /fɔŋ³³ pen³²/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: 'fong$^1$ pien$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /ˈfɔŋ⁴² pʰiɛn¹¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fông-phien
*** Hakka Romanization System: fong$^ˊ$ pien
*** Hagfa Pinyim: fong$^1$ pian$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /foŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ pʰi̯en⁵⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: fong$^1$ piên$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /fɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³⁵ pʰiɛn⁵³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: huŏng-biêng
*** Sinological IPA : /huoŋ⁵⁵⁻⁵³ $^{(p-)}$miɛŋ²⁴²/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hong-piān
*** Tâi-lô: hong-piān
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hongpien
*** IPA (Xiamen): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² piɛn²²/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔŋ³³ piɛn⁴¹/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻²² piɛn²²/
*** IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ piɛn³³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ piɛn³³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: huang$^1$ biêng$^6$ / huang$^1$ biang$^6$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: huang piĕng / huang piăng
*** Sinological IPA : /huaŋ³³⁻²³ pieŋ³⁵/, /huaŋ³³⁻²³ piaŋ³⁵/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^1$faon-bi$_6$
*** MiniDict: faon$^平$ bi$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$faan-bi$_3$
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /fɑ̃⁵⁵ bi²¹/
*** Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /fɑ̃⁴⁴ bi/
* Middle Chinese: pjang bjienH
Rime :
| Character | 方 | 便 |
| Reading # | 2/2 | 2/2 |
| Initial (聲) | 幫 (1) | 並 (3) |
| Final (韻) | 陽 (106) | 仙 (77) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Closed | Open |
| Division (等) | III | III |
| Fanqie | 府良切 | 婢面切 |
| Baxter | pjang | bjienH |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /pʉɐŋ/ | /biᴇn$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /pʷiɐŋ/ | /biɛn$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /piuɑŋ/ | /bjæn$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /puaŋ/ | /bian$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /piuaŋ/ | /biɛn$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /pĭwaŋ/ | /bĭɛn$^H$/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /piwaŋ/ | /bʱi̯ɛn$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | fāng | biàn |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | fong$^1$ | bin$^6$ |

### Adjective

方便
* convenient
    更加方便 ― gèngjiā fāngbiàn ― even more convenient
       Zhè ge fúwù hěn fāngbiàn. [Pinyin]
       This service is very convenient.
       Zhè ge jìshù néng ràng wǒmen de shēnghuó gèng fāngbiàn. [Pinyin]
       This technology can make our lives more convenient.
* available; free (to do something)
    我五點不方便。／我五点不方便。 ― Wǒ wǔ diǎn bù fāngbiàn. ― I'm not available at five o'clock.
* suitable; appropriate
       Zhèlǐ shuōhuà bù fāngbiàn. [Pinyin]
       This isn't the right place to talk about it.
* (euphemistic) having extra money; having money to spare
       Nǐ fāngbiàn dehuà, jiè wǒ wǔshí yuán. [Pinyin]
       Could you spare me 50 yuan?

#### Synonyms

* (convenient):
* 便利 (biànlì)
* 便宜 (biànyí)
* 便易 (bīng-ĭ) (Northern Min)
* 便民 (biànmín) (attributive, of a shop, service, etc.)
* 便當／便当 (regional)
* 利便 (Hokkien, literary or Hakka)
* 就手 (zau$^6$ sau$^2$) (Cantonese)
* 快便 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
* 省事 (shěngshì)
* 簡便／简便 (jiǎnbiàn)
* 順手／顺手 (shùnshǒu)

#### Derived terms

* 方便食品 (fāngbiàn shípǐn)
* 方便麵／方便面 (fāngbiànmiàn)

### Verb

方便
* (transitive) to make convenient; to provide convenience; to make things easy for people; to facilitate
       Wèile fāngbiàn xuéshēng gòumǎi huíjiā chēpiào, xuéxiào yǐ kāizhǎn gèzhǒng huódòng. [Pinyin]
       The school has launched a number of programs to make it convenient for students to purchase tickets home.
* (Mandarin, euphemistic, intransitive) to use the toilet (bathroom); to relieve oneself
       Wǒ xiǎng qù fāngbiàn yīxià. [Pinyin]
       I'd like to go to the bathroom.

#### Synonyms

* (to make convenient): 便利 (biànlì)
* (to relieve oneself): 便溺 (biànniào), 解手 (jiěshǒu), 解溲 (jiěsōu)

### Noun

方便
* (Buddhism) upāya; heuristic or provisional reasoning

### Descendants

* → Japanese: 方便(ほうべん) (hōben)
* → Korean: 방편(方便) (bangpyeon)
* → Vietnamese: phương tiện (方便)
Others:
* → Zhuang: fuengbienh

### Further reading

* “Entry #993”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2024.

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 方 | 便 |
| ほう Grade: 2 | べん Grade: 4 |
| on'yomi ||

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ho̞ːbẽ̞ɴ]

### Noun

方(ほう)便(べん) • (hōben)
* expedient, means
    嘘(うそ)も方便(ほうべん)
       uso mo hōben
       circumstances may justify a lie

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 方 | 便 |

### Noun

方便 • (bangpyeon) (hangeul 방편)
* hanja form of 방편 (“expedient, means”)

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 方 | 便 |

### Noun

方便
* chữ Hán form of phương tiện (“method”).