About
The character 硷 is a phono-semantic compound. Its left component, the radical 石 (shí, "stone"), provides the semantic category, connecting the character to minerals and solid inorganic substances. The right component, 佥 (qiān), functions solely as a phonetic marker. The character denotes alkaline substances, such as soda ash or chemical bases used in industry and cleaning. It is a scientific and technical term, closely related to the standard character for alkali, and has not developed any abstract or metaphorical meanings.