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禳 (ráng) is a phono-semantic compound. Its left component, 礻, is a variant of 示 (shì) meaning 'altar' or 'spirit,' setting the semantic context of religious ritual. The right component, 襄 (xiāng), carries the meaning 'help' and also provides the pronunciation. Accordingly, 禳 denotes praying or offering sacrifices to seek divine assistance in expelling evil spirits, averting natural calamities, and curing illness. It often appears in historical and religious texts describing traditional Taoist or shamanic rites performed to protect a community or individual from impending misfortune.
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