About
The character 箴 is a phonosemantic compound combining the bamboo radical ⺮ (竹) at the top, indicating the material from which the original object was made, with the phonetic component 咸 (xián) below. In its earliest use, it referred to a slender bamboo needle or probe employed in ancient acupuncture, before metal needles came into common use. Because these needles pierced the skin to treat diseases, the meaning later extended metaphorically to an admonition or sharp warning, a piece of critical advice meant to correct a person's moral or behavioral faults.
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