About
The character "糗" is structured with the semantic component "米" denoting grain and the component "臭" associated with smell, which originally indicated dry food like parched rice or flour used as travel provisions. This term later extended to describe stale or spoiled substances, and its meaning shifted to convey social embarrassment, as seen in modern compounds such as "糗事" for an embarrassing event, a change possibly influenced by the negative connotations of spoilage and awkward situations.
Etymology Hide
