About
The character 靥, with its traditional form 靨, is structured with the semantic component 面 meaning "face" and the phonetic component 厭, which was later simplified to 厌 in its modern construction. Etymologically, this character originally described various facial features or hollows, but over centuries its meaning narrowed to refer specifically to the dimples that appear on the cheeks when smiling, moving away from earlier occasional associations with other facial depressions.
Etymology Hide
