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糇 (hóu) refers to dry, solid provisions, typically dried grains or baked goods, carried as travel rations on long journeys where fresh food would spoil. It is a phono-semantic compound: the simplified food radical 饣 (from 食) on the left indicates the meaning is related to food, while the right-side component 侯 (hóu) provides the phonetic cue. The traditional form 餱 uses the unsimplified radical 食 and is found mainly in classical literature describing military logistics, nomadic travel, and the hardships of long expeditions requiring preserved sustenance.
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