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芨 is a phono-semantic character composed of the plant radical 艹 (cǎo) on top and the phonetic element 及 (jí) below. The radical 艹 suggests a plant or herb, while 及, meaning 'reach' or 'catch up,' provides the pronunciation. This is a highly specialized character used primarily to refer to specific medicinal plants in traditional Chinese botany, most notably the orchid Bletilla striata, called 白芨 (báijī). Its tubers have been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine for their astringent and hemostatic properties; consequently, 芨 is rarely seen outside of pharmacological and botanical literature.
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