Definitions
Etymology phono-semantic
wood
About
椁, the traditional form being 槨, is a phono-semantic compound related to ancient burial practices. Its left component, the wood radical 木, indicates the material of the object. The right component, derived from 郭 in the traditional form, serves as a phonetic indicator. The character specifically denotes the outer coffin or burial chamber that encases the inner casket, a key element in the nested coffin system used by ancient Chinese nobility. Due to its specialized meaning, it appears almost exclusively in historical, archaeological, and classical texts discussing ancient burial structures.
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