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The character 盱 (xū) is a phono-semantic compound combining the eye radical 目 (mù) on the left, which relates it to sight, and the phonetic 于 (yú) on the right. It denotes staring with wide-open eyes, and in classical texts often carries emotional overtones of anxiety, expectation, or apprehension. Although rare in modern spoken language, it appears in the place name 盱眙 (Xūyí) and in literary descriptions of a penetrating, tense gaze.
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