髧

dàn

冘 + 髟

Definitions

dàn long hair

Etymology

About

髧 is a phono-semantic compound used primarily in classical literature to depict long hair hanging down freely. Its upper element is the semantic radical 髟, meaning 'hair' or 'head of hair', which places the character within the semantic domain of grooming and physical appearance. The lower element is the phonetic 冘, indicating the pronunciation dàn, while the character's vertical structure visually echoes the downward flow of hair. Since modern Chinese typically expresses hanging hair with multi-character phrases, this character is now rarely seen outside historical poetry and classical descriptions.

Related Characters

Component: 冘

Component: 髟