河
- river;
- flowing water;
Originally, however, 河 specifically referred to the Yellow River (黃河) — the central river of ancient China — and only later came to denote rivers in general. Thus, in some classical texts and idioms, 河 should be interpreted as “the Yellow River.”
Etymology
Phono-semantic compound:
水 (물 수) — semantic component, indicates water or fluidity.
可 (옳을 가) — phonetic component, provides the sound hé / ha and also implies something permissible or flowing smoothly.
In Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字):
「河，水出崑崙，東入海。从水，可聲。」
“河 is the water that rises in Kunlun and flows east into the sea; composed of 水 and phonetic 可.”
Usage in Korean
河川 (하천) — river and stream; waterways
河水 (하수) — river water
江河 (강하) — rivers (collectively)
河口 (하구) — river mouth; estuary
河岸 (하안) — riverbank; riverside
河圖 (하도) — the “River Diagram,” a cosmological symbol in Chinese tradition
黃河 (황하) — the Yellow River
Words that derived from 河
Additional notes
Book of Odes (詩經 · 大雅 · 文王):
「文王在上，于昭于天；周雖舊邦，其命維新。於緝熙敬止，明命不易。文王陟降，在帝左右；河水洋洋，北流活活。」
“The River’s waters roll vast and bright, flowing northward — symbol of the Mandate’s constancy.”
Here, 河水 explicitly refers to the Yellow River, emblem of the central realm (中原).
Book of Documents (書經 · 禹貢):
「導河積石，至于龍門。」
“He (Yu the Great) channeled the River from Mount Jishi to the Dragon Gate.”
This passage describes the legendary flood-control of the Yellow River, where 河 retains its original geographic meaning.
Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, p. 613, entry 9):
「河，黃河也。」
“河 means the Yellow River.”
Over time, the semantic range broadened so that 河 could denote any major river, as distinct from smaller streams (川, 溪).
In Korean usage, 河 retains the sense “river” and appears in compounds such as 河川 and 河口.
In classical literature, however, 河 often connotes the Yellow River itself — a symbol of the heartland and the lifeblood of the realm.
