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This phono-semantic compound features the radical 女 (woman) on the left, indicating its association with females, while the component 旦 (dawn) on the right provides its pronunciation. Historically, 妲 appears almost exclusively in the name Daji (妲己), the notorious concubine of King Zhou of Shang, who is traditionally blamed for the dynasty's fall. As its use is entirely restricted to this specific historical figure, the character has no independent meanings or grammatical functions in general Chinese vocabulary. Its structure simply records the name of a notable woman using a common phonetic element of the time.
Etymology Hide
