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棣 (dì) is a phono-semantic compound: the wood radical 木 (mù, representing trees and vegetation) on the left indicates the semantic field, while the phonetic 隶 (lì, 'subservient' or 'attached') on the right hints at the pronunciation. It originally referred to the Japanese kerria (Kerria japonica), a deciduous shrub noted for its bright yellow blossoms. Because classical poets emphasized the plant's tightly clustered flowers, the character later acquired the metaphorical sense of 'younger brother' and came to express harmonious sibling relationships.
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