About
The character 膻 is a phono-semantic compound with the flesh radical 月 (ròu) on the left, indicating its semantic domain relates to the body or meat. The right side provides the phonetic component 亶 (dǎn). Its primary meaning refers to the strong, gamey odor of sheep or goats. This sense was later extended to any foul, animal-like stench. In some historical medical texts, it was also used to denote the chest or breastbone area, though the olfactory meaning remains most common.
Etymology Hide
