潮

Phono-semantic compound:

水 (물 수) — semantic component, indicating relation to water.

朝 (아침 조) — phonetic component, providing sound (cháo / jo) and the sense of periodic recurrence (as morning returns daily).

The idea of daily recurrence in 朝 parallels the cyclical ebb and flow of tides, giving 潮 its meaning: the regular rising and falling of the sea.

In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):

「潮，海水朝夕而至也。从水，朝聲。」

“潮 means the sea water that comes morning and evening; composed of 水 (‘water’) and phonetic 朝 (‘morning’).”

Semantic evolution:

Natural: physical tide (rise and fall of seawater).

Temporal: morning / daily rhythm (semantic link with 朝).

Figurative: social, emotional, or ideological surge (思潮 “thought currents”).

Modern: popularity or fashion (e.g. 時髦潮流 “modern trend”).

潮水 (조수) — tide; tidal current.

潮汐 (조석) — tides; the periodic rise (조) and fall (석) of sea water

潮流 (조류) — current, flow; also “trend” or “fashion”

思潮 (사조) — current of thought, intellectual trend

潮聲 (조성) — sound of the tide

高潮 (고조) — high tide; climax

低潮 (저조) — low tide; recession

民潮 (민조) — people’s movement; mass uprising

Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, vol. 832):

「潮，海水朝夕往來也。」

“潮 refers to the sea water that comes and goes morning and evening.”

Book of Han (漢書 · 律曆志):

「月行則潮應。」

“As the moon moves, the tides respond” — earliest astronomical link between lunar cycles and tides.

Tang Poetry example (李白 · 早發白帝城):

「朝辭白帝彩雲間，千里江陵一日還。兩岸猿聲啼不住，輕舟已過萬重山。」

“At dawn I bid farewell to White Emperor City amid colorful clouds, A thousand miles to Jiangling in a single day's journey. Monkeys cry ceaselessly along both shores, Yet my light boat has already passed through countless mountains.”

(later commentaries note the poet’s use of 朝 and 潮 interchangeably to evoke daily flow and spiritual renewal).

Cultural and philosophical notes:

In Confucian and Daoist texts, 潮 symbolizes the natural alternation and harmony of cycles — an emblem of cosmic balance (陰陽).

In Buddhist writings, it can describe the ebb and flow of karmic conditions or worldly desire.

In modern Chinese and Korean, 潮 retains a figurative sense of social or cultural movement — as in 思潮 (intellectual tide) or 潮流文化 (trend culture).

From describing the physical sea’s ebb and flow, it grew to symbolize social movements, emotional surges, and cycles of renewal.

(for tides in the evening): 汐