About
榫 is a phono-semantic compound used in carpentry and architecture for a tenon, the projecting piece of wood that fits into a mortise. The semantic radical 木 (mù, wood) links it to timber construction, while the phonetic component 隼 (sǔn, falcon) supplies the sound. Central to traditional Chinese timber-frame buildings and furniture, this character captures the technique of interlocking wood without nails, and its meaning has consistently referred to that specific joinery element.
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