About
The character 呓 is a phono-semantic compound combining the mouth radical 口 (indicating speech) with the phonetic 艺 (yì), which hints at the pronunciation. Its traditional counterpart 囈 uses the same radical but substitutes the more complex phonetic 埶, which likewise points to the sound. The core meaning is talking in one's sleep, sleepwalking, or uttering delirious nonsense, acts naturally linked to the mouth. This meaning is especially common in the compound 梦呓 (mèngyì), which can refer to literal sleep-talking or to any fanciful raving.
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