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As a phono-semantic compound, 簋 combines the semantic radical 竹 (bamboo) at the top, the phonetic component 艮 in the middle, and the semantic radical 皿 (vessel) at the bottom. This structure hints at an original bamboo container, later cast in bronze. Historically, 簋 refers to a specific ancient ritual vessel with a round mouth and square base, used in state ceremonies and ancestral rites to hold cooked grains like millet, typically paired with a bronze ding tripod cauldron.
Etymology Hide