Definitions

clear (water); strain liquids

Etymology phono-semantic

water

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character comes from the traditional form , which combines the water radical on the left with the phonetic component on the right. In the simplified character, the phonetic component is reduced to , while the water radical remains unchanged. The water radical points to the meaning: clear, limpid water. It serves as an adjective for liquids that are free of impurities, and as a verb it means to strain or filter liquids to make them clear.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern