漂
- to drift, to float;
- to wander, to move about;
- to wash, to rinse (as in laundry);
Etymology
Phono-semantic compound:
水 (water radical) – semantic, relating to water, flow, washing;
票 (ticket, slip; phonetic element) – provides sound.
Original sense: “to float or drift on water.”
From “drifting” came extended meanings:
- “to wander aimlessly;”
- “to wash (clothes), to rinse clean;”
- figurative sense of “neat, elegant” from the idea of washed/purified appearance.
Semantic range:
- movement: to drift, to float, to travel with current;
- cleansing: to wash, rinse, bleach (especially clothes);
- figurative: light, elegant, neat, refined.
Usage in Korean
표류 (漂流) – drifting, drifting at sea
부표 (浮漂) – buoy, floating marker
Additional notes
漂 often overlaps with 浮 (to float), but 浮 emphasizes “buoyancy, rising,” while 漂 stresses “drifting, being carried by water.”
The “elegant, beautiful” sense appears in compounds like 漂亮 (beautiful, pretty) in modern Chinese.
- 水一田火 (EMWF)
- ⿰ 氵 票