洑

Refers to a low dam or embankment built across a river — what is called a “보 (bo)” in Korean, used to hold, raise, or regulate water for irrigation and flow control.

By extension, it also describes the gentle or seeping flow of water through such barriers.

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

水 (물 수) — semantic component, indicating “water.”

伏 (엎드릴 복) — phonetic component, giving the sound bok and implying “to lie low” or “to submerge.”

The combination suggests water lying low and restrained, or flowing quietly beneath a surface, evoking both the literal structure of a dam and the figurative idea of subdued but accumulating force.

洑堰 (복언) — weir or small dam

洑水 (복수) — water retained by a weir

洑流 (복류) — underground or slow flow of water

洑壩 (복파) — dam structure or embankment

洑潤 (복윤) — moistening; gradual saturation

In modern Korean contexts, 보 (洑) survives mainly in compound words or expressions describing hydraulic systems, e.g. 세종보, 낙동강보 — referring to water-control weirs on major rivers.

In ancient China and Korea, 洑 referred to a man-made structure that collected water for agriculture, predating modern dams. It was central to early irrigation culture, allowing people to store monsoon rains for later use.

Because such weirs quietly gathered water before releasing it, 洑 came to symbolize restrained power and latent energy — a metaphor later reflected in Korean expressions like “봇물이 터지다” (literally, “the weir bursts open”), meaning pent-up emotion or energy suddenly released.

洑 symbolizes containment, quiet strength, and gradual accumulation.

The water radical (水) embodies flow and adaptability,

while 伏 (to lie low) suggests patience and hidden power.

Together, they express force that builds beneath calmness, the stillness before release — power in reserve.

「洑者，水之伏也。」

“洑 means water lying low.”

Thus, the character portrays both physical containment and emotional restraint — the calm that precedes movement, and the strength that grows unseen.

洑 teaches that true strength gathers quietly.

Like water behind a weir, potential deepens in stillness until the moment of release.

「靜而後動，積而後發。」

“Move only after stillness; release only after accumulation.”

Hence, 洑 stands as a character of balance, patience, and controlled power — reminding us that even the gentlest flow, when steadily gathered, can one day break forth with unstoppable force.