About
The character "莸" derives from its traditional form "蕕", which combines the grass radical "艹" to signify its plant category and the phonetic component "猶" to indicate its pronunciation, historically denoting a foul-smelling plant known as Caryopteris divaricata. In classical usage, it was often contrasted with the fragrant "薰" to symbolize opposition, such as in moral dichotomies. The simplified form "莸" retains the grass radical but replaces the phonetic with "尤", which similarly suggests the sound, while the character's primary botanical reference and its figurative role in antithetical expressions have continued through its historical application.
Etymology Hide
