浸

Phono-semantic compound:

水 (“water”) — semantic component, indicating a relation to liquid or immersion,

𠬶 (“to approach; to invade”) — as the phonetic component, which provides both sound and the sense of penetration or entry.

Originally, 浸 described the gradual spreading of water—to seep, soak, or submerge.

By extension, it came to mean to immerse or steep something in liquid, and metaphorically, to pervade or influence deeply (as feelings, habits, or teachings “soak in”).

In early dictionaries such as Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字), it is defined as

「滲也」— “to permeate; to soak through.”

침수 (浸水) — submersion; flood; water damage

침윤 (浸潤) — infiltration; gradual permeation

침투 (浸透) — to penetrate, to permeate

침몰 (浸沒) — to sink, to be submerged

침적 (浸積) — to accumulate gradually (lit. to soak and gather)

In classical Chinese prose and poetry, 浸 often evokes a sense of slow permeation or encroachment, both physical and metaphorical:

- water slowly covering fields,

- sorrow or virtue gradually filling the heart,

- time or decline creeping upon the world.

In Confucian and Daoist writings, 浸潤 (to permeate gradually) often carries a moral or spiritual connotation, signifying influence that works gently yet profoundly.

《詩經·小雅·十月之交》 (Book of Odes, “Ten Months Have Passed”)

「浸彼稼穡。」

“The waters soak and submerge the crops.”

Here, 浸 describes floodwaters slowly rising and permeating the fields.

The image conveys not only physical flooding, but also a sense of encroaching misfortune — a very ancient interpretation of how Heaven warns a negligent ruler through natural signs.

《孟子·盡心下》 (Mencius, “Exhausting the Heart,” Part II)

「夫子之文章，浸潤乎大國。」

“The Master’s influence gradually permeates the great states.”

Here 浸潤 is used metaphorically: the moral teachings of the sage do not conquer by force but slowly seep into society — changing hearts the way water softens earth.

This is one of the earliest Confucian uses of 浸 to describe ethical influence.

《荀子·勸學》 (Xunzi, “Encouraging Learning”)

「不積跬步，無以至千里；不積小流，無以成江海。浸潤之譽，無日不移。」

“Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles;

without gathering small streams, rivers and seas cannot form.

Praise that comes through gradual permeation shifts day by day.”

In this famous passage, 浸潤 symbolizes steady, patient improvement—the idea that small, continuous influence reshapes character and reputation over time.

Across classical literature, 浸 expresses not only physical soaking but also the classical Chinese idea of deep, gentle, inevitable influence — whether moral, social, emotional, or spiritual.