About
The character "葙" is structured as a phono-semantic compound with the grass radical 艹 indicating its botanical category and the component 相 providing the phonetic cue xiāng. Its etymology lies in this combination, created to specifically denote the plant known as "青葙" or celosia, a usage that has been maintained in written records. The character's meaning has remained narrowly tied to this plant without broadening or shifting to other semantic domains.
Etymology Hide
