泊 (bó) — to moor (a ship); to be at anchor; to park (a v…

Definition

泊 (bó) means 'to moor' (a ship) or 'to park' (a vehicle) — the same verb covers both, with the meaning picked from context.

verb

to moor (a ship)to be at anchorto park (a vehicle)

泊。
Chuán bó zài gǎng kǒu.
The ship moored at the port.
泊。
Tā bǎ chē bó zài lù biān.
He parked the car by the roadside.
泊。
Zhè ge tíng chē chǎng kě yǐ bó hěn duō chē.
This parking lot can park many cars.

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

Sound part声符shēngfú

白

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The 水 part shows water. The 白 part gives the sound, and the picture is of a ship staying still after running aground in shallow water.

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