泉
- spring, fountain, source of water;
Etymology
Originally an ideograph (pictograph).
In oracle bone inscriptions: depicted as a square form with an opening at the bottom, sometimes with dots or a T-shape inside, symbolizing water seeping from between rocks.
Represents the image of a natural spring flowing out of stone crevices.
Although modern form resembles 白 (white) + 水 (water), it is not a true compound of those elements but rather a stylized development of the original pictograph.
Usage in Korean
온천 (溫泉) – hot spring
수泉 (水泉) – natural spring
泉源 (천원) – source, fountainhead
泉水 (천수) – spring water
Additional notes
In classical texts, 泉 could metaphorically refer to wealth or abundance, since springs were sources of life and prosperity.
In later usage, sometimes extended to mean “the underworld” (九泉), by association with the earth’s depths.