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A phono-semantic compound, 纡 pairs the silk radical 纟 (sī), hinting at threads and textiles, with the phonetic 于 (yú). Its traditional form 紆 uses the unsimplified radical 糸. Originally meaning the twisting or looping of silk threads, the character's sense broadened to describe any winding physical path, such as a meandering river or a twisting mountain road. This concept of winding was later applied metaphorically to emotions and bureaucracy, giving rise to terms for suppressed frustration, convoluted administrative procedures, and deliberately roundabout speech.
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