About
The character 馏 (traditional form 餾) is a phono-semantic compound, formed by the semantic food radical 饣 (originally 食) and the phonetic component 留. The radical links it to food, while 留 suggests the pronunciation. Its core meaning is to steam leftover food for reheating. By extension, it also refers to distillation in chemical contexts, as in distilled water. The tone may vary depending on whether the culinary or industrial sense is intended.
Etymology Hide
