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The character 藜 designates a coarse and weedy plant of the goosefoot family, which is commonly known as pigweed or lamb's quarters. Structurally, it is a phono-semantic compound: the top element 艹 is the grass radical, signaling that the character belongs to the plant category, and the bottom element 黎 provides the pronunciation lí. Historically, the tough stems of the mature plant were often fashioned into walking sticks for the elderly, giving the character occasional literary associations with old age and rustic living. Additionally, its young leaves were traditionally consumed as a famine food or basic vegetable among impoverished rural populations.
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