淌
tǎng · HSK 7
to drip
💧😢 淌 = water radical 氵 + 尚 (shàng); the water side means liquid that runs off — tears trickle
The three-dot 氵 radical marks water words, so 淌 is about flowing liquid. Pair the sound tǎng with the related word 躺 (tǎng, to lie down): tears lie down your cheeks and trickle off.
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.