茯 (fú) · used in 茯苓, the tuckahoe fungus

Meanings

HSK 7-9

茯苓是寄生在松树根上的真菌，可入药。

Fú líng shì jìshēng zài sōngshù gēn shàng de zhēnjūn, kě rù yào.

Tuckahoe is a fungus that grows on pine roots and is used in medicine.

history

茯 never stands alone in modern Chinese. It exists only in the bound word 茯苓 (fúlíng), the medicinal tuckahoe fungus used in traditional medicine.

radical

艹 cǎo

grass; plant

艹 is the grass radical, a top-form of 草, marking the character as a plant or plant-derived thing - here a fungus.

phonetic

伏 fú

to lie hidden; crouch

伏 gives the sound fú directly, with no tone shift; its hidden / lurking sense also suits a fungus buried at the roots.

茯 fú