About
The character 瞑 is structured with the semantic component 目, indicating eye, and the phonetic component 冥, which conveys darkness and informs its pronunciation. Etymologically, this combination originally denoted the act of closing the eyes or having dimmed vision. Over time, its meaning expanded to encompass related states such as sleep and, in certain contexts, death, as evidenced in the compound 瞑目 referring to the closing of eyes in death. While the character's form has stayed consistent, its usage has narrowed in modern language, with some concepts like meditation now commonly expressed by characters such as in 冥想.
Etymology Hide
