About
The character "晷" is structurally composed of the sun radical "日" placed above the component "咎", which functions primarily as a phonetic element. Its etymology relates to solar phenomena, with the original meaning referring specifically to the shadow cast by the sun. This concept later extended to denote the device that measures such shadows, the sundial, and subsequently evolved into a broader literary term for time or fleeting moments, as evidenced in classical compounds such as "日晷" for sundial and "晷刻" for a measure of time.
Etymology Hide
