About
枵 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 木 (wood/trees) and the phonetic component 号, which provides its pronunciation. Its original meaning referred to a hollow tree stump or empty wood, a sense derived directly from the wood radical. This core idea later extended to denote general emptiness or hollowness, often used to describe an empty stomach or a lack of substance. The character’s structure clearly shows how a concrete object became the basis for a descriptive term of internal emptiness.
Etymology Hide
