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The character "绔", with its traditional form "絝", is structured as a phono-semantic compound where the silk radical, "糸" in traditional and "纟" in simplified, indicates the material of the garment, while the component "夸" provides the phonetic cue, originally referring to silk trousers. This term for leg coverings made from fine fabric gradually became associated specifically with ornate or luxurious trousers, and its usage shifted over time to be largely confined to the compound "纨绔", which denotes such extravagant clothing and, by extension, the idle young men from wealthy families who wore them.
Etymology Hide
