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The character 笥 is structured with the bamboo radical 竹 above the phonetic component 司, and its etymology indicates an early meaning as a bamboo container for storing food or clothing. This composition reflects the object's material through the radical while using 司 for phonetic indication. Over time, the semantic application of 笥 has remained specific to this type of container, without broadening to other meanings, consistently referring to woven bamboo boxes or baskets in historical and contemporary lexicon.
Etymology Hide
