泊 pō to anchor
to anchor; to moor
How to remember 泊: 氵 water + 白 white = to anchor. In the calm water of the bay, the sailor slows her little white boat and throws the chain to anchor for the night.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
泊 = 氵 water + 白 white
- 氵 water meaning
- 白 white sound
In the calm water of the bay, the sailor slows her little white boat and throws the chain to anchor for the night.
How it came to be
Water gives the meaning and white the sound: a boat that has run aground in shallow water and stays still.
How it is used
- To moor/anchor a boat, hence to settle/drift: 停泊 (tíngbó) to anchor, 漂泊 (piāobó) to drift/wander (a rootless life).
- 淡泊 (dànbó) means indifferent to fame and gain. A second reading pō means lake: 湖泊 (húpō) lakes, 血泊 (xuèpō) a pool of blood.