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The character 翮 is a phono-semantic compound: the phonetic 鬲 on the left combines with the semantic radical 羽 (feather) on the right, signaling a connection to birds and their plumage. Its original meaning is the quill, the hard, hollow central shaft of a feather that acts as its structural backbone. Since the quill gives the wing its rigidity, classical literature often uses 翮 synecdochically to refer to the entire wing. Over time, it also took on the extended meaning of flight or the ability to soar.
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