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曹 is a phono-semantic compound: 曰 "speak" at the bottom, beneath 㯥, which depicts a pair of people and supplies the sound. Together they evoke a plaintiff and defendant speaking against each other. Early uses designated legal opponents, then shifted to a group of officials or a bureau that handled such disputes, and later expanded to any set of peers or people of the same generation. Today it is best known as a surname, as its administrative and legal senses have largely faded.
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曹操是历史人物。
曹先生今天来了。
曹县在山东省。
我们班有姓曹的同学。
曹工程师设计了这座桥。
曹女士是公司的经理。
曹操和曹丕都是三国人物。
曹植的诗歌在中国文学史上很有名。
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