蓬 péng disheveled
disheveled; unkempt
How to remember 蓬: 艹 grass + 逢 to meet = disheveled. After a night of camping in the grass, she rushes to meet her new boss with her hair still disheveled.
Component breakdown
形声 · Meaning + sound
One part gives the meaning, the other gives the sound.
蓬 = 艹 grass + 逢 to meet
- 艹 grass meaning
- 逢 to meet sound
After a night of camping in the grass, she rushes to meet her new boss with her hair still disheveled.
How it came to be
Grass gives the meaning and the sign for meeting the sound; the word first named a kind of mugwort.
How it is used
- Base sense 'disheveled/fluffy' (蓬松 péngsōng fluffy, 蓬头 péngtóu tousled-haired), but its high-frequency life is in 蓬勃 (péngbó) vigorous/flourishing and 朝气蓬勃 (zhāoqì-péngbó) brimming with youthful energy.
- In 蓬勃 it conveys exuberant, luxuriant growth: economies, industries, and young people 蓬勃发展 (flourish).