U+840D "萍" CJK Unified Ideograph-# Unicode Character
U+840D "萍" CJK Unified Ideograph-# is a Chinese character that primarily means "duckweed," a type of small aquatic plant often found floating on the surface of still water. In Chinese culture and classical literature, this character is frequently used symbolically to represent a drifting or unsettled life, as duckweed is rootless and easily carried by currents, evoking themes of impermanence and wandering. The character is composed of the radical for grass or plant (艹) and the phonetic component 平, which contributes to its pronunciation as "píng" in Mandarin. It appears in various compound words and idioms, such as 萍水相逢, which describes a brief, chance encounter between strangers, akin to pieces of duckweed drifting together temporarily on the water.