Origin

This character combines soil (土), the left component, with a sound hint on the right (咅) that suggests the "bai" pronunciation. The soil radical makes sense for the meaning because cultivation and fostering are fundamentally about working with earth—planting seeds, tending crops, and nurturing growth all happen in soil. By pairing the soil radical with a phonetic component, the character visually expresses the idea that you cultivate or foster things much like a farmer works the earth.