About
The Chinese character 廑 is a phono-semantic compound formed by the semantic radical 广 (depicting a shelter or building) and the phonetic component 堇, which originally meant yellow clay. The character initially denoted a small hut, a meaning directly suggested by its architectural radical. Its sense later extended to express carefulness or diligence, and it can also function as an adverb meaning “merely” or “just barely,” sharing an etymological link with the related character 僅.
Etymology Hide
