Definitions
fragrant plant; angelica
Etymology
About
As a phono-semantic compound, 茞 has the semantic radical 艹 on top, classifying it among plants, with the phonetic component 臣 below providing the pronunciation "chén" or "zhǐ". The character’s core meaning refers to a fragrant herb or aromatic root, valued in classical Chinese texts and pharmacology. Consequently, its use is largely confined to poetry and historical botanical references. The element 臣 originally depicted a downward-looking eye, meaning minister or servant, but here contributes only sound.
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