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贶 (traditional: 貺) is a phono-semantic compound that combines the cowrie shell radical 贝 on the left, denoting value, wealth, or material exchange, with the phonetic component 兄 on the right. The character expresses the formal act of bestowing gifts or favors, and throughout its history it was employed in highly polite, deferential language to describe a superior granting something to a subordinate or to convey deep gratitude upon receiving a present. In classical correspondence, it served as specialized epistolary terminology to acknowledge the receipt of a valuable item or benevolent gesture.
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