Definitions

a grassy knoll; a barren knoll

Etymology phono-semantic

mountain

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound character, combining a meaning element and a sound element. Its semantic radical (mountain) appears on the left, marking it as a topographical feature, while the phonetic component (jǐ) sits on the right. The character denotes a barren mountain or hill completely devoid of vegetation. In classical poetry, it is often contrasted with (hù), a mountain thickly covered with trees, illustrating how early Chinese writing used distinct characters to capture precise ecological conditions in the landscape.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern