mend, patch

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Components
衤 meaning component

  Meaning component

  

clothes

is a component form of .

甫 sound component

  Sound component

  

begin

Evolution

補 Seal script Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal script

Shuowen (~100 AD)
補 Clerical script Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical script

Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
補 Clerical script Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical script

Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
補 Clerical script Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Clerical script

Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
補 Regular script Modern

Regular script

Modern
Definitions

() 

mend, patch, fix, repair, restore; to repair; to patch; to mend; to make up for; to fill (a vacancy); to supplement

Most common words with 補
Freq.
Word
Meaning

to repair

补偿

to compensate

补充

to replenish

弥补

to complement

补贴

subsidy