Definitions
surname Yong; name of a feudal state
Etymology
About
The character 鄘 is a phono-semantic compound. The right-side radical 阝, derived from 邑 (meaning a city or settlement), provides the semantic category, while the left component 庸 supplies the phonetic element. It functions almost exclusively as a historical proper noun, specifically naming an ancient vassal state of the Zhou Dynasty located in present-day Henan province. Its composition thus pairs the idea of an inhabited place with a sound marker, and the character has not developed any secondary metaphorical or common meanings outside of historical geography texts.
Etymology Hide
