飽

A phono-semantic compound combining:

食 (먹을 식) — “food; to eat,” indicating the semantic field of nourishment.

包 (쌀 포) — phonetic element, also implying enclosure or containment.

Together, they depict “food enclosed or contained within”, signifying a stomach full of food — hence the meaning “to be satiated.”

Thus, 飽 literally represents the state of being filled after eating and came to describe both physical fullness and figurative satisfaction.

포만 (飽滿) — fullness; abundance

포식 (飽食) — to eat one’s fill

포유 (飽喻) — being thoroughly informed (metaphorically “full of understanding”)

포학 (飽學) — erudition; rich learning (“full of knowledge”)

Used literally for physical fullness and figuratively for intellectual or emotional satisfaction.

The concept of 飽 extends beyond food to symbolize the balance between desire and sufficiency.

In Confucian ethics, being “satiated” implies moderation — knowing contentment (知足) is a virtue, while excess leads to decay.

Thus, 飽 became an emblem of both material sufficiency and spiritual restraint.

In poetry, 飽 sometimes appears in expressions of emotional weariness, such as 飽聞舊事 (“tired of hearing old tales”) or 飽看世事 (“having seen enough of the world”), conveying wisdom through experience.