About
A phono-semantic compound, 纰 pairs the silk radical 纟 (sī) for textile meaning with the phonetic component 比 (bǐ). The traditional form 紕 uses the unsimplified silk radical 糸. Originally, it denoted loose fringes, frayed edges on silk fabric, or decorative trimming on ceremonial garments. Metaphorical extension shifted the image of a frayed thread to a mistake or oversight, a sense now mainly found in the compound 纰漏 (pīlòu, "careless error or flaw in a plan").
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