Definitions
rotten meat; bones of dead animal
Etymology
About
胔 is a phono-semantic compound: the upper element 此 (cǐ) is the phonetic, its pronunciation later shifting to 'zì', while the lower radical 肉, meaning flesh or meat, is the semantic component anchoring the character to biological tissue. Historically, it denoted rotting flesh, putrefying meat, and especially the decaying remnants still attached to the bones of a corpse. This highly specific and macabre meaning restricted its usage to classical literature concerning death, bodily decomposition, and exposed remains on battlefields, and precluded any wide metaphorical extension.
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