About
蓣, traditional form 蕷, is a phono-semantic compound character used to denote species of yam, most notably in the botanical term "shǔyù" (薯蓣) for the Chinese yam. The character combines the semantic grass radical 艹 on top, indicating its association with plants or vegetation, with the phonetic component 预 (traditionally 預) below, which provides the pronunciation "yù". Its meaning has remained specifically tied to this tuberous plant without broader extensions. The structural simplification from 蕷 to 蓣 follows the standard simplification of its phonetic element from 預 to 预, replacing the traditional "head" radical 頁 with the simplified 页.