About
The character 柢 is a phono-semantic compound. Its left side features the wood radical 木, indicating a connection to trees or plants, while the right side is the component 氐 (dǐ), which provides the pronunciation. The primary meaning refers to the root or base of a tree, the foundational part anchoring it to the ground. By extension, 柢 is also used metaphorically to denote the fundamental basis or origin of an abstract concept or situation, a sense often found in classical texts discussing underlying principles.
Etymology Hide
