About
The character "糈" is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the semantic component 米 (rice) and the phonetic component 胥 (xū). Its original meaning, established in classical texts, was specifically "grain used for sacrificial offerings". From this concrete, ritualistic use, the meaning broadened in some contexts to refer to an official's grain salary or provisions in general, a logical extension given the historical use of grain as a form of payment. In modern usage, the meaning has contracted, and the character is now primarily employed in its original sense of sacrificial grain, while its extended meaning concerning salary is largely archaic.
Etymology Hide
