About
嘏 is a phono-semantic compound: 古 provides the sound, while 叚 suggests transfer or bestowal. It originally denoted great felicity, blessing, or robust health, especially in ancient sacrificial rites where ancestral spirits were believed to confer goodwill upon descendants, tying the meaning to ceremonial contexts and the formal transmission of auspiciousness. The character has remained strictly confined to formal, ritualistic, or classical expressions of blessing and great fortune, rarely entering everyday vernacular.
Etymology Hide
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.