Definitions
inferior gem; a kind of jade
Etymology
About
碔 is a phono-semantic compound character. Its semantic radical 石 (shí, 'stone') places it in the realm of rocks and minerals, while the component 武 (wǔ), which independently means 'martial', serves only to indicate its pronunciation. The character denotes an inferior gemstone or ordinary stone that superficially resembles fine jade in appearance or texture but lacks true value. This distinction reflects the historical need to tell genuine precious stones apart from visually similar counterfeits.
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