NOVELTY - A phenyl intermediate (I) or (II), is new.    USE - New phenyl intermediate is used for preparing tapentadol or its analogue (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The tapentadol or its analogue having high quality is economically prepared by simple method with high yield using phenyl intermediate, without environmental pollution.    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - A phenyl intermediate of formula (I) or (II), is new.    R1=halo, hydroxy, amino, cyano, nitro, acyl, acyloxy, sulfonyl, or alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl, or heteroaralkyl (all optionally substituted);    X=oxygen or sulfur;    Y'=halo, OR2 or NR3R4;    R2=alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl or heteroaralkyl (all optionally substituted);    R3,R4=H, or alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl or heteroaralkyl (all optionally substituted);and    or R3+R4+N=(un)saturated heterocyclyl.    INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following:    (1) preparation of phenyl intermediate (I) or (II); and    (2) preparation of tapentadol of formula (XXX) or its analogue, which involves amidating phenyl intermediate (I) to obtain amine compound of formula (XX), reducing amine compound (XX) to obtain phenyl intermediate of formula (XXI) and substituting phenyl intermediate (XXI) or hydrolyzing phenyl intermediate (II) to obtain carbonyl group-containing compound of formula (XXII), reducing carbonyl group-containing compound (XXII) to obtain amine group-containing compound of formula (XXIII) and alkylating amine group-containing compound (XXIII).    R10=halo, hydroxy, amino, nitrile, nitro, acyl, acyloxy, oxoacyl, sulfonyl, or alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl, or heteroaralkyl (all optionally substituted), preferably hydroxy;    R20=alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl or heteroaralkyl (all optionally substituted), preferably methyl;and    R30,R40=H, or alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkoxy, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl or heteroaralkyl (all optionally substituted), preferably methyl.