流淌
liú tǎng · HSK 7
to flow
🌊 流淌 = 流 (flow) + 淌 (trickle); both carry the 氵 water radical on the left
Two near-synonyms stacked for emphasis: 流 means to stream and 淌 means to trickle, so together they describe water flowing. The 氵 radical on each character is the three-dot mark of all water words.
流 — water radical 氵 + 㐬 (phonetic, child being born)
流 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning, while 㐬 depicts an infant being born head-down with amniotic fluid, suggesting downward flow. Together they convey water flowing, and by extension 'to flow' or 'current'.
淌 — water radical 氵 + 尚 (shàng)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 氵 (water) gives the meaning of liquid flowing, while 尚 supplies the sound. The character depicts water streaming or trickling down, and by extension is used for tears, sweat, or blood flowing freely.