About
趵 is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic radical 足 (zú, foot/leg) with the phonetic component 勺 (sháo, spoon). Its primary meaning is the forceful action of jumping, leaping, or pawing the ground with the feet. Today the character is best known from Baotu Spring (趵突泉) in Jinan, Shandong, where this leaping sense metaphorically describes the spring water vigorously gushing and bubbling upward.
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