About
The character "泗" is composed of the water radical (氵) combined with the phonetic component "四", which cues its pronunciation and suggests a semantic connection to fluids. Its earliest recorded use was as a proper name for the Sishui River in ancient China, a meaning preserved in classical geographical references. The character later acquired the sense of nasal mucus or snivel, likely through an analogical association between flowing water and bodily discharge, and this became its primary meaning in common language.
Etymology Hide
