The Chinese Radical: 卜


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Meaning
oracle, mysticism    卜

Explanation This radical is considered to be a simplification of: fortune telling (crack in the shell of a turtle from which the fortune was told.). Sometimes it is read as a forking of a road.

Used in these characters:
JLPT HSK 1
upwards, on top, upon, above
shàng, shǎng
Ground , with a plant directing upwards. (opposite of)
From the horizontal ground, a plant is directed upwards.  
JLPT HSK 1
down(wards), below, lower, later, next (week etc)
xià

Shows a line as ground and a plant's root underneath.  
JLPT HSK 1
point, o'clock, drop (of liquid), dot stroke
diǎn
Top: fortune telling (crack in the shell of a turtle from which the fortune was told), bottom: fire
If you tell the fortune over a fire, you will get to the point.  
JLPT HSK 1
table
zhuō
Top: excellent (Before the day happens: Fortune telling early at the morning is excellent. ), below: part of tree
It is excellent to use wood for: a table.  
JLPT HSK 2
outside, foreign, external
wài
Left: evening (When the moon is not yet fully there, it is only evening.), right: bifurcation/parting of the ways
If you are in the evening (alone) at a fork in the road, you are: an outsider.  
JLPT HSK 3
to be stuck, blocked, checkpoint, calorie
kǎ, qiǎ

In the question of an up or down , you are: stuck.  
JLPT HSK 4
to fall, to drop, to lag behind
diào
Left: hand , right: excellent ([before the day happens:] Fortune telling early at the morning is excellent.) [ = divining = crack in turtle's shell]
(As a support/hold when falling) A hand is excellent, when you fall.  
JLPT HSK 4
to reside, to live, spot, bureau, to be in
chǔ, chù
Left: crossed legs , right: fortune telling (=crack in turtle's shell)
Sit down with crossed legs and tell fortune whether this is a good place to reside.  
JLPT HSK 4
salt
yán
Top: 圤 (earth , fortune telling also understood as a branching), bottom: bowl
From earth it can be separated (branched off) and collected in a bowl: salt.  
JLPT HSK 4
to divine, to occupy, to take up
zhān, zhàn

Crack in the shell of a turtle used for divination.  
JLPT HSK 5
to repair, to patch, to mend, supplement

Left: clothes 衤/, right: fortune telling (here: image of a needle with a thread (cf. 针)
For the clothes, take a needle to repair.  
JLPT HSK 5
to lie (for sleeping), lie down

Left: minister, official (= eye wide open), right: divine (here: a rotated cover )
For the staring eyes you need a (rotated) cover if you want to lie down to sleep.  
JLPT HSK 6
to visit, to attend (a event), to go, be present

Left: to go, walk (On earth feet have to walk.), right: divine (here: forking of ways)
By going along the way's forking, you can attend that visit.  
JLPT HSK 6
outstanding, excellent
zhuó
Top: divination / (crack in the shell of a turtle used for divination), below: early/fast
[before the day happens:] A divination at the early morning is: excellent.  
JLPT HSK 6
cover, fish trap (basket), shade
zhào
Top: net 罒, bottom: excellent ([Before the day happens:] Fortune telling early at the morning is excellent)
A net is excellent as a cover.  
JLPT HSK 6
plain and simple, unadorned
pò, pǔ, piào, pō
Left: tree , right: divine (crack in the shell of a turtle used for divination)
That tree shall be guessed, which is plain and simple.  
JLPT HSK 6
to throw oneself at, to pounce on, devote one's energies

Left: hand , right: forking of a way
If your hand is at the fork of a way, you can throw yourself in the right direction.  
JLPT HSK 6
mourn, lament
dào
Left: feeling , right: excellent ([Before the day happens:] Fortune telling / early at the morning is excellent)
Can feelings be excellent, when you are mourning?  
JLPT no HSK
faithful, loyal, dependable, chaste
zhēn
Top: fortune telling (crack in a turtle's shell, used for divining), bottom: money
Who divines for money must be faithful.  
JLPT no HSK
abbr. for Luxembourg

Top: fork in the road , bottom: buttocks in side view
Like at a forking road (between the three neighboring countries) you sit with your buttocks in Luxembourg.  
JLPT no HSK
spacious, wide, generous, ample, well-off, to grip
chuò
Left: thread 纟/, right: excellent ([Before the day happens:] Fortune telling early at the morning is excellent)
Threads are excellent when they are spacious (=long?).  
JLPT no HSK
skull

Left: Luxembourg 卢 (forking of the way, buttocks ), right: page, leaf, forehead 页/ (head with shoulders and eyebrows )
If there is only one hair on the head , this head is a skull.  
JLPT no HSK
to divine, to forecast or estimate, turnip
bo, bǔ

Developed from the crack in the shell of a turtle, from which it was divined.  
JLPT no HSK
8th divinatory trigram
guà
Left: (twice earth , here: part of way/street 街, where you walk over piled earth.), right: fortune telling (crack in a turtle's shell used for divining, sometimes also: forking of a way)
About the way with a forking, there is the: divinatory trigram.  
JLPT no HSK
coat, jacket, gown, ensheath
guà
Left: clothes 衤/, right: trigram 卦 (twice earth as fortune telling in trigram)
Clothes in fortune telling can ensheath as a coat.  
JLPT no HSK
to blame, fault, to punish, calamity, misfortune
jiù
Top: outside, foreign 外 (If you are in the evening [alone] at a fork in the road, you are: an outsider), bottom: mouth
An outsider's mouth blames you.  
JLPT no HSK
servant, to fall prostrate
pū, pú
Left: person , right: oracle, forking road
The person who prostrates himself from the standing forward is the servant.  
JLPT no HSK
to brine, salt, stupid, gravy

Above: devine (Here: handle of a cover), below: Barrel with something in
The lid on the pickle barrel with something that is brined.  

Radicals are shown here that are similar either in appearance or meaning.

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