About
The character for "to dive, to hide, or to be latent" is 潜 in its simplified form, which derives from the traditional character 潛. This traditional form is composed of the water radical 氵 (a variant of 水) on the left, indicating a semantic connection to liquid, and the component 朁 on the right, which historically served a phonetic function. The simplified form 潜 replaced the right-side component with 替, likely for graphical simplicity while retaining the water radical. Etymologically, the character's primary sense has consistently involved moving or being beneath the surface of water, from the concrete act of submerging to metaphorical extensions meaning to conceal, to carry out secretly, or to describe something dormant or hidden from view.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我很喜欢潜水。
他很有潜力。
敌人潜伏在附近。
潜意识影响我们的决定。
这里潜藏着巨大的能量。
他悄悄潜入了敌人的基地。
那名逃犯已经潜逃多年。
这项技术具有广阔的应用潜力。