About
The character 嚆 is a phono-semantic compound with the "mouth" radical 口 on the left as its semantic component, indicating it relates to vocalization or projecting sound with the mouth. On the right is the complex phonetic element 蒿 (hāo), which determines its pronunciation. Etymologically, 嚆 denotes calling out loudly or a sound ringing clearly through the air. It is most famously used in the historical term for a whistling arrow, shot to signal the start of battle, giving the character a metaphorical meaning of the absolute beginning or earliest origin of an event.