About
蚨 is a phono-semantic compound combining the semantic radical 虫 (insect) on the left and the phonetic 夫 on the right. The radical indicates that the character originally denoted a water beetle, the 青蚨. According to an ancient Chinese myth, smearing coins with this beetle's blood made them magically return to their spender. Over time, 蚨 came to be used as an elegant literary synonym for money, coins, or currency.
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