About
The character 萸 is structurally composed of the grass radical 艹 atop the phonetic component 臾, denoting its association with plants. Its primary and almost exclusive use is within the compound 茱萸, which names a group of plants historically valued for medicinal and ceremonial purposes. Etymologically, the character was formed to represent the second syllable of this binome, with 臾 serving as a phonetic indicator rather than contributing meaning. The semantic scope of 萸 has consistently been limited to this specific botanical reference throughout its documented history.
Etymology Hide
