About
The character 闼 is a phono-semantic compound: the outer semantic component 门 (door/gate) encloses the phonetic 达, which indicates the pronunciation. Historically, it referred to a small door inside a palace or an inner gate in a large courtyard, as opposed to the main entrance. Over time, its meaning broadened in literary usage to include palace gates in general or the inner chambers of a royal residence. The traditional form 闥 uses the full characters 門 and 達; the simplified version reduces them to 门 and 达, but the structural logic and sound correspondence remain unchanged.
Etymology Hide
Report an issue
Flag incorrect definitions, examples, etymology, etc.