勃 (bó) — (bound form) flourishing, thriving

Definition

Bound morpheme meaning 'flourishing, vigorous' — almost always paired with another character (蓬∼, ∼发, ∼兴) to form set phrases. Used in writing rather than everyday speech.

bound form
flourishingthriving

Examples

  • 。
    Zhè piàn tǔ dì shàng yí piàn péng bó de shēng jī.
    This land is full of thriving vitality.
  • ,。
    Zài bǐ sài zhōng, yùn dòng yuán men yīng zī bó fā.
    In the competition, the athletes are spirited and vigorous.
  • ,勃。
    Jìn nián lái, gāo xīn chǎn yè xùn sù bó xīng.
    In recent years, high-tech industries have been rising vigorously.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
力力lìpower
Sound part声符shēngfú
孛
孛bèi勃⁰bó
Same sound today

勃 pairs 力, which carries the sense of power or force, with 孛 as a sound part.

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