About
The character 茴 is a phono-semantic compound of the standard botanical type: the upper radical 艹, signifying grasses and herbs, situates it within the plant kingdom, while the lower component 回, which carries the meanings 'to return' or 'revolve', provides the pronunciation huí. Some literary scholars also see in 回 a playful nod to the plant's lingering, returning aroma. It was created specifically to denote fennel and aniseed, aromatic herbs used extensively in regional culinary customs and traditional medicine. Throughout its history, it has stayed strictly within this botanical and culinary domain, appearing almost exclusively in the compound 茴香 (huíxiāng) without acquiring any secondary metaphorical senses or grammatical functions.
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