About
The character "瓠" is a phono-semantic compound incorporating the semantic radical "瓜" for gourd and the phonetic component "夸" to indicate sound. Etymologically, it denotes the bottle gourd, a plant in the cucurbit family. Its structure has consistently featured these components, with the "瓜" radical anchoring its meaning to gourd-like plants. While the character's primary referent has always been this specific gourd, its usage expanded into classical literature and botanical terminology to describe related vessels or plants derived from the gourd.
Etymology Hide
