Definitions
(literary) to cover; to shelter; (literary) 76 years (unit of time in ancient calendars)
Etymology
About
The character 蔀 originally referred to a screen or awning made from woven grass or similar plant materials. It is a phono-semantic compound: the '艹' (grass) radical on top indicates the botanical material, and '部' below suggests the pronunciation. Over time, it acquired a specialized secondary meaning in ancient Chinese astronomy, a seventy-six-year cycle used for calculating the alignment of lunar and solar cycles. Both meanings are now found almost exclusively in classical texts and historical astronomical treatises, rather than in modern Chinese.
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