報

A phono-semantic compound:

幸 (행, fortune, blessing) — semantic component, suggesting “to return favor or response”

𠬝 (복, to manage, to govern) — phonetic component

In early usage, 報 meant “to return a favor or response”, especially in a moral or ritual sense. One repaid kindness with kindness, wrongdoing with punishment, or a request with a response.

From this idea of repaying, the meaning naturally expanded to include “reporting back”—that is, giving information in response to an event.

보은 (報恩) — to repay kindness

보수 (報仇) — to avenge, to repay revenge

보도 (報道) — news report, coverage

보고 (報告) — report; to report

보답 (報答) — repayment; requital

보복 (報復) — retaliation; revenge

속보 (速報) — breaking news

정보 (情報) — information, intelligence

은혜를 갚다 (報恩) — to repay kindness

보고하다 (報告하다) — to report

보답하다 (報答하다) — to repay

보복하다 (報復하다) — to retaliate

Related characters

報 — repay / report (base character)

復 — return (semantic relative)

酬 — recompense (ethical repayment)

告 — announce (informational function)

恩 — kindness (object of repayment)

The ethical sense of 報 is central in Confucian thought, especially in:

報恩 (repaying kindness)

報仇 (avenging wrongdoing)

The information sense (news, reports) is a later semantic extension, but now dominates modern usage.

The dual meaning (repay / inform) reflects a shared idea of responding appropriately to a situation.

In classical texts, 報 often implies moral balance rather than simple transaction.