About
The character 阕 is a phono-semantic compound with the enclosing semantic radical 门 (mén, "door"), suggesting the closing of a passage. The internal component 癸 (guǐ), one of the ten heavenly stems, provides the phonetic element. In traditional script, it is written as 闋 with the full door radical 門. Originally, it meant the end of a musical piece or a pause in a song. This musical sense later extended to its use as a measure word for songs, lyrics, and ci poetry, indicating a complete verse or stanza.
Etymology Hide
