舟

Core sense: boat, vessel, or ship. Metaphorically used to represent transition or crossing (moving between states), isolation and fragility in a hostile environment, or the "vehicle of liberation" (the method of reaching enlightenment) in Buddhist contexts.

Functions almost exclusively as a noun; typically serves as the object of verbs of motion or transport (e.g., 乘 chéng "to ride/board," 航 háng "to sail").

Distinguished from 筏 (raft) by the difference between displacement (a vessel) and flotation (a platform).

In early texts, this is a generic term for any watercraft. In later periods or in contexts where both 舟 and 船 appear, 舟 typically denotes smaller, more primitive, or essential craft (e.g., skiffs, canoes, small ferries), whereas 船 usually denotes larger, constructed ships.

Serves as the maritime or riverine radical (radical 137) for characters such as 船, 航, and 舵; it provides the primary semantic clue for obscure characters containing this component.

If 舟 is used in a context where the more specialized 船 is available, consider whether the author is emphasizing a smaller scale or employing an archaic register.