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The character 虬 comprises the semantic radical 虫 (chóng), denoting insects, worms, or reptiles, and the phonetic component 乚 (yǐ), which suggests both sound and a twisting form. Its traditional variant 虯 uses the phonetic component 丩 (jiū). The character primarily refers to a young, hornless dragon in Chinese mythology, typically envisioned as coiling or writhing. The use of the 虫 radical aligns with the ancient classification of dragons alongside snakes and scaly creatures. By extension, the term describes anything that twists or coils, such as gnarled branches or twisted roots, applying the dragon's sinuous image to natural forms in literary description.
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