About
瘴 is a phono-semantic compound: the sickness radical 疒 marks it as an illness, while 章 (zhāng) provides the sound, giving the pronunciation zhàng. It was coined to describe miasma, poisonous vapors ancient people believed rose from swamps and tropical forests, causing diseases like malaria. Classical texts frequently used it for the unhealthy air of southern, uncultivated regions. Today, the character survives mainly in the compound 瘴气 (zhàngqì) in historical or medical contexts, still tied to disease-bearing environments.
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