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Originally a phono-semantic compound, the character 伧 (traditional form 傖) is composed of the human radical 亻 on the left, defining its meaning as relating to people, and 仓 (cāng, traditional 倉) on the right. The component 仓 depicts a granary or farm, and it serves both as a semantic contributor, suggesting a person from the countryside, and as the phonetic indicator. Historically, 伧 was a contemptuous term for someone from rural, provincial, or lower-class origins, carrying the sense of being coarse, vulgar, and unrefined. Classical authors frequently used it to disparage those who lacked education or aristocratic manners. In modern Chinese, the character has largely fallen out of use, surviving almost exclusively in the compound word 伧俗 (cāng sú), which criticizes behaviour, language, or art for being tasteless and uncultured.
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