Definitions
red earth used for paints
Etymology
About
雘 denotes a red earth pigment, essentially a mineral paint, traditionally used to decorate palaces and ceremonial structures. A phono-semantic compound, it is classified under the radical 隹 (short-tailed bird) because the phonetic component 蒦 contains that element, while 雨 (rain) sits above it. Neither bird nor rain contributes to the meaning, which is entirely "red pigment". Historically, applying 雘 was an expensive, labor-intensive process reserved for high-status buildings. The phonetic 蒦 provides the reading, and in classical literature the character names this specialized architectural red paint.
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