About
The character "荤" has its traditional counterpart "葷", which consists of the grass radical "艹" atop the phonetic component "軍". Its original meaning referred not to meat, but specifically to strong-smelling or pungent vegetables like garlic and leeks, which were prohibited in certain Buddhist monastic diets. Over time, likely influenced by the context of these dietary prohibitions which also included meat, the meaning broadened and shifted to signify meat-based or animal-derived foods in general, becoming the semantic opposite of "素" for vegetables. The simplified form "荤" replaced the grass radical with the meat radical "⺼", a structural change that directly reflects this later and now primary meaning of meat or rich, non-vegetarian food.
Etymology Hide
