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The character 椽 (chuán) is a phono-semantic compound for roof rafters. Its left component, the wood radical 木 (mù), indicates the timber material, while the right component 彖 (tuàn) provides the pronunciation. Etymologically, it denotes the sloping wooden beams running from the ridge pole to the eaves, designed to bear roof tiles or thatch. Throughout history its use has been confined to this architectural sense, though it occasionally appears in metaphors for people who serve as foundational support for an organization or state.
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