臧

zāng, zàng

戕 + 臣

Definitions

zāng surname Zang

zāng good; right

zàng old variant of 藏[zàng]; old variant of 臟|脏[zàng]

Etymology

Depicts a weapon (戈) slashing an eye (臣). In ancient China, captured prisoners were blinded with weapons making them into slaves. 爿 was later added as a sound component. Based on the original meaning, "slave; servant". The current meaning "good" is a phonetic loan.

Semantic: 臣 Phonetic: 戕

About

The character 臧 combines the eye component 臣 on the left with the weapon 戈 on the right, while the element 爿 was later added as a phonetic marker. In oracle bone script it directly depicted a blade slashing an eye, reflecting the ancient practice of blinding captives to turn them into slaves , hence the original meaning "slave" or "servant". The modern sense "good" is a phonetic loan, unrelated to the original graphic idea. The three components remain visible in the standard form, with 爿 slotted in alongside 臣 and 戈.