伏 fú to crouch
How it came to be
A person with a dog at their feet, both low to the ground. The dog is the model: lying flat and waiting is what a dog does and what the word means.
How it is used
- To lie low / crouch / lie hidden - 埋伏 (máifú) to lie in ambush, 潜伏 (qiánfú) to lurk, 伏案 (fú'àn) to bend over a desk.
- Hence 'to rise and fall' - 起伏 (qǐfú) to undulate, 此起彼伏 (cǐqǐ-bǐfú) one rising as another falls.
- Also the dog-days of summer, 三伏天 (sānfútiān), the hottest period; and the electrical volt, 伏特.