About
觚 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 角 (horn) on the left and the phonetic component 瓜 on the right. It originally denoted a tall, slender drinking vessel used for wine in ritual ceremonies; the horn radical suggests that early versions were probably crafted from animal horn before being cast in bronze. Later, the character came to designate wooden tablets for writing, and also a corner, angle, or sharp edge, reflecting a semantic extension from the physical object to the angular form that defines it.
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