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碛 (qì), the simplified form of 磧, is a phono-semantic compound with the stone radical 石 on the left and the phonetic 责 (traditional 責) on the right. Originally, it referred to a shallow stretch of water with a sand or gravel bottom, or a rocky sandbar protruding from a river. Later, the meaning expanded to arid, rocky deserts and barren gravel plains, especially in northwestern China.
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