About
The phono-semantic compound 穰 combines the agricultural radical 禾 on the left, indicating grain or crops, with the phonetic component 襄 on the right, which supplies its sound. Originally, it referred to the leftover stalks or stubble after harvest and threshing. Over time, its meaning expanded from these physical remnants to symbolize a bountiful, prosperous harvest, often used in classical texts to describe years of exceptional agricultural yield and the wealth that followed for farming communities.
Etymology Hide
