泛舟 (fàn zhōu) — to go boating, to drift in a boat (literary) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Literary, poetic verb for drifting or boating on water — stronger than everyday 去划船, with a calm, scenic feel. Often used in writing or set phrases like 泛舟湖上.

verb

to go boatingto drift in a boat (literary)

Examples

泛舟。
Wǒ men zhōu mò qù hú shàng fàn zhōu ba.
Let's go boating on the lake this weekend.
。
Tā xǐ huan zài yuè yè lǐ fàn yí cì zhōu.
He likes to go boating once under the moonlight.
，。
Fàn zhōu hú shàng, xīn qíng gé wài shū chàng.
Drifting in a boat on the lake, one feels especially relaxed.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

泛 is to drift or float, and 舟 is a boat, so the action is going boating.

Characters in this word

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

氵乏泛

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐ

Sound part声符shēngfú

乏

乏fá泛fàn

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

泛 pairs 氵 (water) with 乏, which gives the sound.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

舟 was originally a drawing of a boat.

Appears in

Outdoor Recreation Boats & Water Travel

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