About
The character "觞" derives from its traditional form "觴", which is structurally composed of the semantic component "角" meaning horn and the phonetic component "昜" providing pronunciation, originally denoting a ceremonial drinking vessel made from horn. Over centuries, its meaning expanded beyond specific horn cups to encompass wine vessels in general and the act of drinking or toasting, particularly in literary contexts, while the simplified form replaced the phonetic element with "伤", yet retained "角" to continue hinting at the object's association with liquid consumption.
Etymology Hide
