黍

shǔ

人 + 氺 + 禾

Definitions

shǔ broomcorn millet; glutinous millet

Etymology

Pictograph of a stalk of proso millet with drooping ears. The 氺 (water) component was added later to possibly indicate that this specific type of grain is used to brew wine.

About

黍 originated as a pictograph of a stalk of proso millet with drooping ears. The component 氺 (water) was added later, possibly indicating that this grain was used to brew wine. It designates broomcorn millet (proso millet), a staple grain in early agrarian societies before rice and wheat became dominant. Because millet seeds are fairly uniform in size, the character also served as a unit of measurement for weight and length, and it appears in contexts of traditional alcohol brewing that relied on this glutinous variety.