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The character 妫 is a phono-semantic compound. The left-side radical 女 (woman) indicates its semantic connection to female figures or family lineages, while the right component 为 provides the phonetic reading "guī". Its traditional form is 媯, which pairs the same 女 radical with the traditional phonetic element 爲. Etymologically, 妫 originally referred to the Gui River in present-day Shanxi province. It later became one of China's most ancient surnames, associated with the descendants of the legendary Emperor Shun. In modern usage, it functions primarily as a proper noun, appearing mainly as a rare surname or in historical geographic names.
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