沛 (pèi) — abundant (bound form, used in compounds)

Definition

沛 (pèi) is a bound morpheme meaning 'abundant / plentiful', almost never used alone. It appears in set compounds like 充沛 and 丰沛, always as the second character with the same sense.

bound form
abundant (bound form, used in compounds)
Easily confused

Examples

  • ，。
    Tā de jīng lì hěn chōng pèi, měi tiān gōng zuò shí èr gè xiǎo shí.
    His energy is so abundant that he works twelve hours a day.
  • ，。
    Yǔ shuǐ chōng pèi, jīn nián de zhuāng jia cháng dé hěn hǎo.
    Rainfall is abundant, so this year's crops are growing well.
  • ，。
    Yǔ shuǐ chōng pèi, huǎn jiě le gān hàn.
    Rainfall is abundant, alleviating the drought.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
巿
巿fú沛pèi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

沛 has 氵, a short form of 水 meaning water, and 巿, which gives the sound.

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