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绺 is a phono-semantic compound with the silk radical 纟 on the left, linking it to threads or textiles, and 咎 on the right, indicating the "liǔ" pronunciation. Its traditional form 綹 uses the unsimplified radical 糸 with the same phonetic component. Originally a measure word and noun for a skein of spun silk or bundled threads, its meaning expanded to describe any small, clustered bundle of thin, flexible items, such as a lock of hair, a tuft of mane, or a wisp of fiber.
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