Definitions

round bamboo basket

Etymology

About

筥 is a phono-semantic compound with the semantic radical 竹 (bamboo) on top, indicating the character relates to bamboo-made objects, and the phonetic component 吕 below, which provides the pronunciation "jǔ". Its primary meaning is a round bamboo basket used for storing grain, food, or household items. This specific definition has remained consistent throughout history, reflecting ancient China's reliance on bamboo for everyday containers. Although the component 吕 originally depicted a spine in ancient pictographs, it serves only as a sound indicator in 筥 and adds no semantic meaning to the concept of a woven basket.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern