Definitions

cáo (a kind of herb)

Etymology

About

The character 蓸 is a phono-semantic compound. Its upper component is the radical 艹, which classifies it within the category of grasses or herbaceous plants. The lower component, 曹, provides the pronunciation "cáo". Historically, this character was used in Chinese dictionaries and botanical texts to denote a specific type of grass or herb. Its structure exemplifies how the writing system combines a semantic classifier with a phonetic element to create a distinct identifier for a particular plant species.

Etymology Hide

Bronze etymology image
Bronze Late Warring States (~250 BC)
Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern