Definitions
bamboo mat; bed mat
Etymology phono-semantic
bamboo
Semantic:
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About
笫 is a phono-semantic compound where the semantic radical 竹 (zhú, "bamboo") indicates the primary material, and the lower component 𠂔 (zǐ) provides the phonetic value. Its literal meaning refers to the bamboo boards or matting that formed the base of ancient Chinese sleeping platforms. Through metonymy, this meaning extended to denote the bed itself or bedroom matters. The character is most commonly found in the classical idiom "床笫之私" (chuángzǐ zhī sī), meaning the private intimacy shared between spouses.
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