Definitions

to wrap and bind; damp; dripping; wet; a book bag

Etymology

About

is a phono-semantic compound combining the clothing radical at the bottom as the semantic component and at the top for its sound. The radical grounds the character in cloth and garments, while the original meaning was a cloth book bag or wrapper. Over time, it expanded to verbs like to wrap, to bind, and to perfume a garment with incense, actions inherently tied to the fabric conveyed by the lower element.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern