潮流
cháoliú · HSK 4
tideway
🌊 潮 = tide + 流 = flow; literally tide-flow, hence current or trend
潮 carries the water radical 氵plus 朝 (morning, also phonetic); 流 is water radical plus a flowing-child element. Together they name the tidal flow of water — and by extension, the flow of fashion or social trends.
潮 — water 氵 + morning 朝
潮 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The water radical 氵 gives the meaning (tide, sea water), while 朝 (morning) supplies the sound. Originally it referred to the morning tide, later broadened to mean tides in general and, by extension, currents or trends.
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'.