About
The character 晷 is a phono-semantic compound meaning a sundial or the time measured by it. The sun radical 日 at the top provides the semantic link to solar movement, while 咎 (jiù) below serves as the phonetic component. Originally referring to the sun's shadow, the character became associated with the sundial, an ancient instrument for telling time. It later extended to mean time itself or a specific part of the day, often appearing in classical texts to evoke the passage of daylight.
Etymology Hide
