About
The character 蔺 is a phono-semantic compound with the grass radical 艹 (cǎo) on top, indicating its semantic category of plants. Its simplified form has the door component 门 (mén) enclosing the bird component 隹 (zhuī). The traditional form 藺 uses the unsimplified 門 and a more complex internal structure. Botanically, it refers to a type of rush or sedge whose long, flexible stems were historically harvested and woven into sleeping mats. Today, the botanical meaning is seldom used in daily life, as the character primarily functions as a Chinese surname, most notably associated with the Warring States period statesman Lin Xiangru.
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