About
The character 芥, structured with the grass radical 艹 above the component 介, functions as a phono-semantic compound where the radical categorizes it within the realm of plants while 介 primarily supplies phonetic guidance. Its original meaning centered on mustard plants and various small grasses, a concrete botanical reference that naturally led to associations with things considered minute or trivial. Over time, this meaning expanded into more abstract domains, such as in the compound 芥蒂, where it conveys the notion of a minor grievance or slight impediment, demonstrating a semantic evolution from literal vegetation to metaphorical insignificance without alteration to its fundamental graphical form.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
芥菜是一种蔬菜。
他吃寿司喜欢加很多芥末。
他们之间曾有过芥蒂。
细微如芥子也能入画。
他的态度十分倨傲，视人如草芥。
这种芥子气是危险的化学武器。
生命在战火前有时轻如鸿毛，贱如草芥。
他心胸宽广，从不将那些微如芥豆的冒犯放在心上。