漂
piāo , piǎo , piào · HSK 7
to float
🌊🍃 氵water + 票 piào ticket = a paper ticket drifting on water; 票 gives the piāo sound
The water radical 氵 carries the float/drift/bleach senses (all done in water), while 票 piào supplies the sound piāo/piǎo/piào. The elegant sense comes from something light enough to drift gracefully.
漂 — water 氵 + 票 piào (phonetic)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 氵 (water) gives the meaning, while 票 supplies the sound. The original sense is 'to float on water,' from which extended meanings like 'to drift' and 'to bleach by rinsing' developed. The reading piào ('elegant, pretty') is a later figurative extension.