About
薏 is a phono-semantic compound: the grass radical 艹 at the top categorizes it as a plant, and the phonetic 意 below supplies the pronunciation yì without contributing any meaning. The character names the tall, grain-bearing tropical plant Job's tears (Coix lacryma-jobi) and its edible, medicinal seeds, and is limited to botanical, culinary, and traditional medical contexts as a specialized noun.
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.