Definitions
black millet
Etymology
About
The character 秬 (jù) is a classical Chinese term for a variety of black millet. It is a phono-semantic compound: the semantic radical 禾 (hé, grain) places it in the agricultural domain, while the phonetic component 巨 (jù) indicates its pronunciation. This grain held significant ritual importance in early China. It was cultivated specifically to brew an aromatic ceremonial wine called chang, which was essential for state rituals, ancestral offerings, and official ceremonies, thereby elevating its status in historical records.
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