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咝 is the simplified form of 噝, an onomatopoeic phonosemantic compound. The mouth radical 口 on the left indicates a sound or oral action, while the right-hand component 丝 (traditional 絲) serves as a phonetic marker giving the pronunciation "si". The character represents a sharp hissing noise, such as air escaping, a snake hissing, or a sharp intake of breath through the teeth. Its use is confined to conveying this high-pitched fricative sound without extending into metaphor.
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