陂 (pō): rugged; uneven

Meanings

古文云：「无平不陂。」

Gǔwén yún ：「 wú píng bù pō 。」

The ancient text says: 'No level ground but has its slopes.'

这里地势陂陀难行。

Zhèlǐ dìshì pōtuó nán xíng.

The terrain here is uneven and hard to walk.

usage

The 陂 reading is literary, meaning rugged or sloping ground, as in 陂陀. The everyday reading for a pond is 陂.

radical

阝 fù

mound; hill

Left-side mound radical 阝 (the side form of 阜). It marks earthworks and slopes — here the raised bank that holds in a pond.

phonetic

皮 pí

skin; (here) sound

Right side 皮 supplies the sound; it is the phonetic in a family including 波 and 坡, which is why this character has the bēi / pō readings.

陂 pō