渥 (wò) — (bound form, literary) to moisten, to enrich; (bound form, literary) rich, abundant; strong, powerful

Definition

渥 (wò) is a literary bound morph meaning 'rich, abundant, deep' — used almost only in fixed phrases like 优渥 and 丰渥, never on its own in modern speech.

bound form
(bound form, literary) to moistento enrich(bound form, literary) richabundantstrongpowerful
Easily confused

Examples

  • 渥，。
    Zhè fèn gōng zuò dài yù yōu wò, xī yǐn le hěn duō qiú zhí zhě.
    This job offers generous compensation, attracting many applicants.
  • ，渥。
    Tā de xué shí shēn shòu xué xiào rèn kě, yīn ér huò dé yōu wò de ān pái.
    His scholarship is highly recognized by the school, so he received generous arrangements.
  • 渥，。
    Cǐ dì shuǐ tǔ fēng wò, fēi cháng shì hé zhòng zhí shuǐ dào.
    The water and soil here are abundant and fertile, very suitable for growing rice.

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
水水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
屋
屋wū渥wò
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

渥 is made from 水 (water) and 屋 (wū), and 屋 gives the sound.

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