Definitions

used in 芣苡[fú yǐ]; see 薏苡[yì yǐ]

Etymology phono-semantic

grass

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound: the upper component (the "grass" radical) marks it as a plant, and the lower component supplies the pronunciation. It occurs almost exclusively in the compound 薏苡, which names Job's tears (pearl barley), a grain-bearing tropical plant.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern