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湓 (pén) is a phono-semantic compound: the water radical 氵 on the left provides the aquatic meaning, while 盆 (pén) on the right gives the pronunciation and suggests a basin or container. Its primary meaning is water bubbling up, boiling over, or rapidly overflowing its banks or container. The character is also the proper name of the Pen River in Jiangxi province, a usage now largely confined to classical texts about flooding and geographic features.
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