About
The character 雩 is a phono-semantic compound, with the semantic radical 雨 (rain) stacked above the phonetic component 于 (yú). This structure places the character within the domain of weather and atmospheric phenomena, while 于 indicates its pronunciation. Etymologically, 雩 refers to a specific ritual sacrifice performed in summer to plead for rain during droughts. The term appears mainly in classical texts and historical records of agricultural ceremonies, reflecting ancient practices of seeking divine intervention for weather control.
Etymology Hide
