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薹 is a botanical term for sedges and the edible flowering stems of garlic, leeks, and rapeseed. It is a phono-semantic compound: the grass radical 艹 on top indicates a plant, while the lower component 臺 serves as the phonetic, giving the reading 'tái'. While many characters that contain 臺 as a phonetic element were later simplified to 台, 薹 retains its traditional form in modern usage, especially in agricultural and culinary terminology.
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