About
As a phono-semantic compound, 衿 combines the clothing radical 衤 on the left, indicating its semantic field of garments, with the component 今 on the right, which provides its pronunciation "jīn". The character originally referred specifically to the collar or lapel of a traditional robe. This concrete meaning later extended metaphorically to denote the scholars or educated class who wore such distinctive collars, giving rise to historical terms for students or local literati within the imperial examination system.
Etymology Hide
