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The character 蓣, which appears in its traditional form as 蕷, is a phono-semantic compound denoting the Chinese yam, specifically in the botanical name 薯蓣. Structurally, it combines the plant radical 艹 ('grass') at the top, indicating a herbaceous plant, with the phonetic component 预 (traditional 預) below, giving the pronunciation yù. Its meaning has remained strictly tied to this tuberous plant, lacking broader semantic extension. The simplification from 蕷 to 蓣 directly mirrors the standard simplification of its phonetic element from 預 to 预, replacing the 頁 radical with 页.
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