About
The character 姹, traditionally written as 姹, combines the semantic component 女 (woman) with the phonetic component 宅, reflecting its original association with feminine beauty and approximating its pronunciation. Initially used to denote a beautiful woman, the character's meaning shifted over time, and it now appears almost solely in the idiom 姹紫嫣红, where it contributes to describing the vibrant hues of blooming flowers rather than directly referencing human appearance. The simplified form 姹 replaces the phonetic element with 乇, a streamlined component that maintains the character's phonetic function while reducing its stroke count.
Etymology Hide
