About
The character "鄣" is structured with the phonetic element "章" on the left and the semantic radical "阝" on the right, the latter deriving from "邑" and signifying a settlement or administrative area. Etymologically, it originated as the name of a small state during the Zhou dynasty, and its application evolved to function primarily in historical place names and surnames. The character's meaning has not expanded beyond these proper noun usages, and its form has remained consistent in traditional orthography.
Etymology Hide