How to Write 湓 (pén) — Meaning “To gush or overflow”

Imagine a basin (盆) filled with water (氵) that is so full it overflows and splashes out. The sound 'pén' is like the sound of water splashing over the edge. This visual helps connect the character to its meaning of gushing or overflowing.

Write the left radical 氵 as three dots first, keeping them narrow and aligned. The right side 盆 consists of 分 on top and 皿 below; make sure 分's strokes are balanced and the bottom 皿 is wide enough. A common mistake is making the 氵 too big or misplacing the top and bottom parts of 盆.

流 (liú, flow) uses a different right component (㐬) and describes continuous, smooth movement like a river, not a sudden overflow. 浙 (zhè) is a place name for Zhejiang province and has the right component 折 (break), unrelated to water. Only 湓 contains 盆, which gives the specific idea of water surging out of a container.

湓 is a literary or classical character, very rare in everyday conversation. You might find it in written descriptions of water gushing forcefully, such as a fountain or flood, or metaphorically for emotions like tears surging out. It appears in compounds like 湓涌 (pén yǒng) meaning 'to gush out or surge.'

Common words containing 湓 include: 湓涌 (pén yǒng) — To gush out or surge; 湓 (pén) — To gush or overflow; 湓溢 (pén yì) — To overflow.