Definitions

qiū Lespedeza bicolor

Etymology

About

The character "萩" is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the grass radical 艹, indicating its botanical nature, and the phonetic component 秋, which also loosely suggests its autumnal association. In classical Chinese texts, the character originally denoted a specific type of plant, often identified as a kind of artemisia or, in Japanese usage, the bushelover or Japanese clover. Over time, while its core botanical meaning persisted, the specific plant referred to could vary by region and context, with its application becoming more closely associated with plants of the genus Lespedeza, particularly the bush clover. The character’s form has remained stable, with no widely used simplified variant created for it.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
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Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
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Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern