伏

A semantic compound:

人 (사람 인) — person.

犬 (개 견) — dog.

Together, they depict a dog lying down beside a person, representing the act of prostration or lying low.

Semantic range:

- to lie prostrate, crouch, bend down;

- to submit, yield, be subservient;

- to hide, conceal, lie in ambush.

伏地 (복지) — to prostrate on the ground

伏兵 (복병) — ambush, troops in hiding

俯伏 (부복) — to bow down, prostrate oneself

臥伏 (와복) — to lie face down

伏日 (복일) — the “dog days” of summer (Sambok, 三伏)

In Chinese culture, 伏 conveys both literal posture (lying prostrate) and moral disposition (submission, humility). In Confucian ethics, bowing or prostration was a symbol of respect and obedience, especially in ritual contexts.

The term 三伏 (삼복) refers to the hottest periods of summer in the traditional East Asian calendar, when people and animals would naturally “lie low” because of the oppressive heat. This seasonal association survives today in “복날”, when people in Korea eat invigorating foods like 삼계탕.

In Christian tradition, prostration (lying face down, or kneeling deeply) is a powerful act of humility and surrender before God. It is often practiced in monastic life, during ordinations, and in liturgical rites such as Good Friday, when clergy prostrate themselves in prayer. The posture of 伏 — to bow, yield, or submit — resonates with this practice, symbolizing a total submission of the self to divine authority and an embodied recognition of God’s majesty.