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阚 is a phono-semantic compound: the door radical 门 (traditional 門) encloses 敢 (gǎn), which provides the sound. The semantic suggests looking out from a doorway or gazing down from a height, and the character appears in classical texts as a verb for peering or surveying. An alternative pronunciation carries the meaning of a tiger's echoing roar or the clamor of an approaching army. Today, both 阚 and 闞 are primarily used as a formal surname.
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