About
The character 榱 is a specialized architectural term structured as a phono-semantic compound. Its left side features the wood radical 木, indicating the building material, while the right side contains the phonetic component 衰 (cuī), which guides its pronunciation. In traditional construction, 榱 specifically denotes the sloping wooden rafters that extend from the roof ridge down to the eaves, supporting the roofing materials. Due to its technical specificity, this character is rare in modern speech, appearing primarily in historical texts, architectural treatises, and classical poetry describing elaborate structures.
Etymology Hide
